Displaced
by TsukiyoTenshi
Summary: The Trix cast a spell on the Winx to get rid of them for good. But little did they know, the outcome wasn't as they thought it would be; the Winx weren't gone, they had simply been...Displaced. Final Chapter, "A Peaceful End...Or is It?" up! COMPLETE!
1. 1- The Spell

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: All right, this is just an idea that randomly popped up in my head from some book my brother was talking about. Now, mind you, this is going to take place in the fifth season, just after the girls destroy the seal to the Pillar of Control in episode 21.

Now, this is my first Winx Club fic, so don't be too harsh when reviewing. If you've nothing nice or helpful to say, then don't bother sending in a review! Don't even bother reading this! I don't appreciate rude comments, and they'll only be ignored.

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Spell~Oo**

The Winx fairies and the selkies cheered when they saw the dent in the Pillar of Control was sealed.

However, their happiness was not to last as Tritanus and the Trix swam in onto the scene.

"The seal!" the mutated merman shouted in outrage. "Get them!" He ordered the Trix, shooting a beam of polluted energy at the Winx, who dodged the attack. Immediately, the fairies swam off, with the Trix right behind them, leaving Tritanus at the Pillar.

"Psst, Icy," Darsi hissed at the silver-haired witch as Stormy shot barrages of electrical energy.

The witch of icy said nothing, but instead, glanced at the brunette witch swimming beside her out of the corner of her eye.

"Stormy and I have an idea," Darsi grinned slyly at the Ice Witch. "I think it could get rid of those pesky fairies for good."

"Really?" Icy drawled, shooting a couple icicles to keep up appearances, with Darsi adding in a few dark pulses as well. "I'm listening."

Darsi quietly explained the plan to Icy and the two quickly swam to regroup with Stormy. The Trix phased out, leaving the Winx curious as to where they went.

"Where'd they go?" Bloom asked, glancing around quickly at their surroundings.

"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this…"Musa trailed off as the Winx all backed into each other, still keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Suddenly, the water around the six fairies began to ripple and twist around them.

"Lemmy," Layla said, quietly. "Take the other Selkies and get out of here."

"But, Layla—" the aqua-coloured Selkie tried protesting.

"No 'buts', Lemmy!" Layla cut her off. "Get out of here! NOW!"

Frightened, the Selkie of Andros gathered up the rest of the Selkies and they swam away as quickly as their tails could take them.

The Winx gripped each other's hands as they watched the rippling water become a torrent of bubbles that twisted around the group violently. Chanting was heard as the torrent of bubbles started glowing a deep green, and the bubbles turned black.

One black bubble separated itself from the rush and grew larger and larger until it was big enough to envelop the Winx within it.

The fairies screamed in pain when they found the black of the bubble seeping into their bodies, weakening their bodies, rendering them unconscious.

The rush of bubbles sailed faster and faster around the large bubble, until they all dissipated into black sparks.

"Well, that takes care of that annoyance," Icy chuckled darkly, as she and the other two of the Trix appeared back into sight.

Their laughter continued as they swam back to Tritanus to tell him the good news.

But little did they know, that the Winx weren't gone, but simply…displaced.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	2. 2- Where Are We?

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Well, here's the second chapter, and I'm going to warn you all a bit right now: Because I've never written a story for this particular topic, the story might seem like it's going a little fast. I'll do my best to slow it down as much as I can so it doesn't seem rushed, but I can't make any promises.

Ah, I may have forgotten to mention this in the previous chapter, but if anyone doesn't like this story, then don't' bother reviewing, let alone reading further. Just ignore it all together.

Enjoy the chapter and remember to read and review!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Where Are We?~Oo**

"What just happened?" Musa groaned, opening her eyes to find them staring at the familiar ceiling of the Alfea infirmary.

She heard a small moan from beside her and saw Flora just beginning to awake, as were all of the Winx.

The girls were all dressed in cream-coloured pajamas, no doubt put on them by the Nurse with their hair down and out of their usual styles.

It was then that Musa noticed something off. Her head felt…lighter? Raking a hand down her dark locks, she found them to be the same shoulder-length tresses she had before having her hair spelled two years ago. _'My hair's short! But how? Why?'_

"Okay," Stella said, looking around at their surroundings. "Somebody want to tell me how we got to Alfea when we were in the Infinite Ocean just a few seconds ago?"

"I don't know," Tecna replied. "The last thing I remember is a large storm of black and then nothing."

"But then how did we end up in the infirmary?" Bloom asked this time.

"Because we brought you here," a sweetly aged voice answered.

The six turned to the doorway and found Ms. Faragonda and the other professors standing there with grim expressions on their faces.

"You six were grouped together for a trial run in the Virtual Reality Chamber," Professor Wizgiz explained. "But something went wrong and the chamber malfunctioned, leaving the six of your sapped of your strength and letting out a discharge of magic."

_'Virtual Reality Chamber?'_ Bloom thought in surprise. _'But that…shouldn't be possible! We were in the Infinite Ocean fighting the Trix!'_

Tecna's eyes narrowed slightly when she heard what Professor Wizgiz said. _'Magical Discharge?'_ she wondered. _'Something like that, depending on how powerful it was, could cause adverse effects in anyone!'_

"But that shouldn't have happened in the first place," Professor Palladium scratched his head, irritated. "I checked the Chamber thoroughly to make sure there weren't any defects or anything wrong."

"Do the six of you remember anything?" Ms. Faragonda asked, looking concerned.

"Not really," Layla answered slowly. "But what test did we have in the Virtual Reality Chamber, anyway? I don't remember anything like that."

The rest of the Winx nodded in agreement. They didn't remember having any tests in the Virtual Reality Chamber. The last time they were in the Virtual Chamber was when they were trying to realize their Sirenix abilities. And hadn't they already become Guardian Fairies of their Realm?

"You must have taken quite a hit," Griselda said concernedly.

"You were all in the Chamber to practice with your Charmix powers," Ms. Faragonda answered. "After all, you all had earned it quite late in the year last year and you needed the practice."

"Charmix?" Flora piped up. "But we're not sophomores!"

"I should hope not," Professor Avalon chuckled, "seeing as you are all seniors this year."

_'Charmix as seniors?'_ Musa's eyes narrowed this time suspiciously. _'Something's not right.'_

"All right, that's it!" Madam Lettie rushed out of her office with a tray in her hands. "My patients need rest and they can't have that with the lot of your chatting with them all day!"

"We're sorry, Lettie," Ms. Faragonda chuckled. "We'll be out in a moment."

The nurse only huffed as she waited.

"Well, then, rest up for as long as our dear Madam Lettie orders," Ms. Faragonda told the Winx. "The professors and I will be investigating the Chamber and find out what happened." With that, she and the rest of the teachers walked out of the infirmary, closing the doors behind them.

As soon as the headmistress was gone, the nurse bustled around the six fairies and began giving them different potions and such, claiming that they would help them get better when the Winx gagged at the tastes.

"This is getting really confusing," Stella flumped back into her pillow.

"I concur," Tecna said, rubbing her chain.

Just then, Flora squeaked. The rest of the girls looked over the fairy of nature in alarm.

"What's wrong?" Bloom asked urgently.

"There's something in my bed!" Flora squeaked out, watching a small lump moving around underneath the cream-coloured blanket.

"Something in y—" Musa cut herself off when she saw her pillow shifting around. "Okay, that's _definitely_ not normal!"

It was then that each of the remaining girls noticed a tiny lump or some portion of their bed twitching and shifting around.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted from under Flora's blanket. "A little help would be nice!"

Flora stopped trembling and stared at the tiny lump. "Wait a second, I know that voice…" she lifted her covers and came face-to-face with her bonded pixie, Chatta. "Chatta! What are you doing here?"

Seeing the blonde pixie, the rest of the Winx quickly rifled through their beds, finding that the little twitching areas were indeed their Pixies.

"How would we know?" Digit asked from Tecna's shoulder.

"One moment we're having a nice up of tea in Pixie Village," Tune began daintily.

"And the next we're waking up in your beds!" Lockette finished, flailing her arms around animatedly.

"I wonder what happened?" Bloom asked no one. "I know we were going up against Icy, Darsi, and Stormy, but then they just…disappeared."

"And then those black bubbles attacked us," Stella added.

"I don't think those were normal bubbles, guys," Layla spoke up, stroking her sleeping pixie's head. "I know how bubbles are, and those…things weren't normal bubbles. Besides, bubbles can't just appear out of nowhere, they have to be created. Those looked like they were made of magic."

"And why did Ms. F say that we just got our Charmix?" Musa looked around at her friends. "And did you see the way she looked at us? She looked like she didn't even know us. She looked at us like we were just normal, everyday students at Alfea."

The Winx looked at each other worriedly. There was something wrong and they didn't know what it was or how they could fix it.

"Digit," Tecna suddenly turned to her pixie. "Can I ask you for a favour?" She looked to all of the pixies. "Can I ask you all for a favour?"

The rest of the Winx's pixies all looked to each other before looking to their bonded fairy. When said fairy nodded, the pixies all flew over to Digit and Tecna.

"What is it, Tecna?" Digit asked. "Is something wrong?"

_'I hope not,'_ Tecna thought before answering. "I'd like you and the pixies to go around Alfea and Red Fountain. Stay away from Cloud Tower, whatever you do. I need you all to find out as much as you can about us."

"Ask around about you?" Amore cocked her head to the side curiously. "Why?"

"I have a hunch about what's happening, but I need proof to confirm my theory," Tecna explained.

The pixies all looked at one another before nodding. "Okay!" Chatta agreed as the six pixies flew out of the infirmary windows.

"What's going on, Tecna?" Stella asked.

"I think I know what happened," the magenta-haired fairy answered. "But as I said, I don't want to say anything until I have proof."

And so the fairies all leaned back into their pillows and waited for the pixies, slowly drifting to sleep.

**_Winx~Club_**

-A Few Hours Later-

"Tecna! Tecna!" the Pixies shouted urgently. The fairy of technology woke up with a start and looked to the troubled pixies. "What's wrong? What did you find out?"

"Something's really wrong!" Chatta shouted. "No one knows who the Winx Club is!"

That had gotten the Winx's attention. "What do you mean, Chatta?" Flora asked gently, trying to calm the blonde pixie.

"It's just as she said," Tune said daintily, but everyone could hear the underlying hysteria. "No one here knows who or what the Winx Club is! And apparently all of you are _fifth_ year seniors! You just earned your Charmix last year after failing during your sophomore year! You all somehow made up for it with your grades, but you didn't earn your Charmix until the end of 'last year'!"

"That can't be right!" Bloom spoke. "We all earned our Charmix during sophomore year and then Enchantix during senior year."

"Believix and Harmonix after that," Layala chipped in.

"And finally Sirenix," Tecna finished.

"But you didn't! And you just earned your Charmix last year!" Lockette burst out worriedly. "And none of you are best friends, either!"

"Okay now that's messed up," Musa breathed out.

"And what's worse is that those three witches never attacked Alfea for Bloom's Dragon Fire, Darkar never surfaced, and Valtor never escaped Omega!" Digit reported. "And Stella never found Bloom to bring her to Alfea! Ms. Faragonda found her and brought her here when Bloom's magic started acting up!"

"Then my guess is correct," Tecna slumped back against her pillows.

"What, Tecna?" Bloom asked.

"That we're not in Alfea. At least we're not in _our_ Alfea," the fairy of technology answered. "We've landed in a different dimension."

* * *

-Cloud Tower-

A pair of icy-blue eyes snapped open when the owner felt a wave of magic. They turned to stare into two pairs of eyes; one teal and the other violet.

"It's here," the ice-blue-eyed figure chuckled maliciously. "The Dragon Fire!"

* * *

-Underrealm; ShadowHaunt-

The same pulse of magic traveled through the Underrealm.

An almost skeletal figure in deep-maroon armour and a tattered cape twitched upon the throne he sat in. The figure cracked his neck a few time, loosening his joints, and grinned a feral grin. "At last! The Dragon Fire will be mine!"

* * *

-Omega Dimension-

The pulse of magic ran through the Omega Dimension, setting many of the frozen convicts free of their prisons.

A large icicle in the centre of a large spiral shook violently. The little sign labeled as 'Frozen for eternity' was flung onto the ground. The icicle shattered into tiny diamond shards as the dust created a sort of cloud from the blast.

A figure stood where the icicle had been and a pair of grey eyes opened as he breathed in his first breath of air in many years.

The figure gave a dark laugh as he walked off into the place he was imprisoned.

* * *

-Alfea-

Down a dark hall with large paintings hung up on the walls, a large dark cloth was draped over on piece of art in particular.

The pulse of magic caused the cloth to glow and rustle as the painting began shaking. Suddenly, the cloth was flung off, revealing four men in dark punk clothing. Their eyes glowed red as four laughs erupted from the painting.

A large gust of wind ripped through the hall, dust flying everywhere, creating a cloud nearly too thick to see through. When the dust cleared away, the four men in the painting were gone.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	3. 3- Of Boyfriends and Tears

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Now, I'm going to mention this now before I forget, you know how when the Winx obtain a new transformation/power, they don't transform into their previous forms? Well, in this, I'm going to have them be able to use the transformations from the past. Their main one will be Sirenix, since they just achieved it, but they will still have the ability to use Charmix, Enchantix, Believix, and Harmonix when they want to. I might allow them to use the Lovix and Sophix despite those two being one-time usage transformations.

Enjoy the chapter and remember to review, but If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all! Remember, this is my first Winx Club fic, so even I don't know how it'll turn out since I'm doing this on a whim.

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Of Boyfriends and Tears~Oo**

The rest of the Winx all slumped against their pillows when they heard Tecna's declaration.

"I can't believe it," Flora sighed. "How did this happen?"

"I assume it's front the spell that sent us here," Tecna replied.

"Yeah," Musa added. "I bet you that those witches did this to us!"

"But I don't think that sending us to another dimension is what they were aiming for," Bloom looked to the ceiling and stared, thinking. "They've always tried getting rid of us, so maybe, they figured that this would do the job; once and for all."

Stella sighed once more and looked around the room, her amber eyes landed on her bonded Pixie and smiled, before noticing that Amore was fidgeting. Like she was keeping a secret.

"Amore?" the fairy of the sun called to the pixie of love. "What's wrong?"

The other fairies and pixies turned to the maroon-haired pixie, who only fidgeted even more from the attention.

Stella's eyes narrowed. "There's something you're not telling us." It wasn't a question.

"Um," Amore twiddled her finger as she spoke quietly. "Well, I went to Red Fountain to see if the boys would know anything—"

"Oh I miss my Snookums!" Stella suddenly shouted out.

And with that statement, began a whole conversation about the girls' boyfriends.

"THEY'RE DATING OTHER PEOPLE HERE!" Amore blurted out before slapping her hands over her mouth.

"What?" Bloom whispered.

"In this dimension, they're dating other people," Amore repeated.

"Who's with who?" Tecna asked, her voice husky with tears.

"Brandon and Timmy are going out with fairies here at Alfea," the pixie of love reported. "Sky is going out with Diaspro, and Helia is with Crystal."

"And Riven?" Musa asked quietly. "Who's he with?"

"Riven's going out with a witch from Cloud Tower," Amore told the fairy of music.

"I guess, then Nabu isn't here…" Layla sighed sadly.

"Actually," Digit piped up hesitantly. "He's alive, but he was never betrothed to you, Layla. And because he was never betrothed to you…"

"We never met," Layla finished, on the verge of tears.

Suddenly, without warning, each of the fairies broke out into quiet sobs.

"Things couldn't get worse, can they?" Flora asked through her sobs.

"Never say never, Flora," Bloom choked out, wiping away her tears. "Never say never."

(AN: And if ANYONE thinks of mentioning that stupid song by who I deem as Justine Beaver, you will be cursed with bad luck for a week!)

And with that, the fairies cried themselves to sleep; their pixies snuggled in beside them on their pillows.

* * *

-A Week Later-

The Winx were finally released from the infirmary and because it was a Saturday (which meant no classes), they decided to go and hang out in Magix. They'd told their pixies that they could go wherever they'd like, but to stay out of sight to avoid questions.

"Freedom!" Stella threw her hands up into the air with glee as the Winx laughed at the blonde fairy's antics.

* * *

Stella was wearing a halter-neck tiered mid-thigh-length dress that was layered pink, orange, and violet. On her feet were a pair of magenta knee-high stiletto boots with an orange flower on each.

Her hair was left down to her knees and held back with a violet headband and a pair of violet stars dangled from her ears.

**_Winx~Club_**

Musa was wearing a pair of dark-blue capris that went just past her knees, a lavender spaghetti-strap shirt with a magenta vest over it that stopped an inch or two below her chest, and a pair of lavender detached sleeves that started at her elbows and went down to her wrists. On her feet were a pair of peep-toe stiletto boots that went to about three inches below her capris over hot-pink socks.

She wore multiple beaded necklaces around her neck, a pair of gold headphones rested over her ears, and her [re-spelled] hair (courtesy of Stella) was left down to her knees with a small portion pulled into a bun on the back right of her head.

**_Winx~Club_**

Tecna wore a midriff-baring lavender one-saggy-shoulder shirt that had lime0green edging, a lime-green thing-length skirt with a silver belt slung around her hips and a pair of lavender tights underneath that went to just past her knees with a pair of amethyst stiletto boots with silver accents.

She wore lime-green earrings, a few bracelets on her left wrist, and a long beaded necklace around her neck. Her magenta hair was left down to just past her shoulders.

**_Winx~Club_**

Layla wore an aqua romper with a lavender floral-print camisole underneath, a violet belt was slung around her hips, and she wore a pair of cerulean calf-high stiletto boots over a pair of lavender socks.

She wore a long beaded necklace around her neck, a light-blue and violet visor, an amethyst bracelet around her right wrist, and a pair of large light-gold earrings. Her dark-brown hair was secured into long knee-length pigtails.

**_Winx~Club_**

Flora wore a lime-green tank-top over a pink ruffle-strap camisole top, a high-waist pink and light-pink tiered skirt that fell to mid-thigh, and a pair of pink knee-high stilettos over lime-green socks.

Her hair long light-brown hair was pulled into thick braid that fell over her right shoulder and to just below her waist.

**_Winx~Club_**

Bloom wore a magenta shirt with a strapless cerulean buttoned-vest that went to just below her chest, a cerulean tiered mid-thigh length skirt, and a pair of cerulean stiletto slouch boots that went to just below her knees over magenta socks.

She wore a heart and chain necklace, a pair of crystal hearts dangled from her ears, and a pair of bangles dangled from her left wrist. Her hair was left down to fall to her knees with her bangs swept to the side of her face and some secured back with a small cerulean barrette.

* * *

Each girl was laden with no less than four shopping bags, though Stella had double. Though they were still depressed about their boyfriends and the new world they were in, the girls just ignored the pain and decided to have a fun day.

"Ow!" Musa winced as she landed hard on her bottom. "Watch where you're going!"

"Why don't you, stupid fairy?" A haughty voice retorted.

Musa looked up to see that she had crashed into a girl her own age; and a witch at that.

**_Winx~Club_**

The girl had deep maroon hair that fell in waves down to mid-back, pale skin, an a pair of dark-teal eyes. Her lips were coloured a deep-violet while her eyes were lined in the same color.

She wore a black plaid skirt strewn with chains, a violet off-shoulder top with an underbust vest, a pair of mid-calf-high black combat boots complete her outfit.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Carmen, Babe, you okay?" a familiar voice asked, as the two girls lifted themselves off of the ground.

Musa turned to find Riven there checking the witch for any injuries.

**_Winx~Club_**

Riven wore a pair of violet pants with a white belt, a teal shirt whose sleeves were rolled up to just a few inches below his shoulders, a white vest, and a pair of deep-indigo shoes.

**_Winx~Club_**

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she blinked them away before any one saw. She felt her friends behind her with their hands on her shoulder of their arms wrapped around her waist; the fairy of music turned her head and flashed them a grateful smile.

"I'm fine!" The witch snapped, shrugging off Riven's hands. "And besides, a _witch_ doesn't get hurt as easily as a stupid _fairy_."

"You're really asking for it, aren't you?" Layla growled as she stepped forward.

"Asking for what?" the witch asked innocently. "I'm just pointing out the truth."

"The truth about what?" Stella asked this time. "Your horrible fashion sense? Seriously, even for a witch, that's a little, ew!"

The witch's face flushed in anger and was about to say something, when another voice was heard.

"Riven! Carmen!"

They all turned to find the rest of the Specialists, each with a girl on his arm.

* * *

Brandon was wearing a pair of darkwash jeans with a white belt, a pink pinstripe shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a lime-green sweater vest over it, and a pair of white sneakers.

**_Winx~Club_**

The girl on Brandon's arm had azure hair in a high ponytail down to just below her shoulders, a lightly tanned complexion, and a pair of brown eyes. Her eyelids were shaded lightly with a faint pink as were her lips.

She wore a pair of white shorts with a brown belt slung over her hips, a short-sleeved midriff-baring top with a V-neckline, a brown camisole was underneath her shirt, and she wore a pair of brown stiletto hiking boots.

She wore a pair of amber feather earrings, a woven choker, and around her left wrist was a simple beaded bracelet.

**_Winx~Club_**

Helia wore a pair of olive-green work pants, an indigo shirt with a deep V-neck and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a white collared shirt underneath, and a pair of black and white sneakers. His hair was pulled into the loose ponytail he'd once donned. A black cord was tied around his neck several times as a sort of choker or necklace.

**_Winx~Club_**

Crystal wore mint-green short-sleeved ruffled top with lavender flowers, a lavender might-thigh length tiered skirt, and a pair of lavender heeled sandals.

Her lavender hair was pulled back with a mint-green headband; a gold bracelet was on her left wrist while a small bit of ivy was twisted around her upper right arm.

**_Winx~Club_**

Timmy wore a pair of maroon pants, a white collared shirt underneath a denim jacket with red edging, and a pair of navy and white sneakers. His red-framed glasses were perched on his nose.

**_Winx~Club_**

The girl on Timmy's arm had long fuchsia hair left down, a creamy complexion, and a pair of amethyst eyes. Her eyes were shaded in a pale lavender, and her lips a pale pink.

She wore a lavender sundress with a ruffled skirt and ruffled straps that went down to her knees and a pair of lavender pale-pink flats.

She only wore a simple beaded bracelet on her right wrist and a silver pendant around her beck.

**_Winx~Club_**

Sky wore a pair of beige work pants with a black belt, a sweatshirt with an orange torso and teal elbow-length sleeves, a cerulean long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of black and white sneakers with cerulean accents. His hair wasn't in the choppy style Bloom had grown accustomed to, but rather it was in the same style it had been before he'd had it cut.

**_Winx~Club_**

Diaspro wore a white ruffled skirt that went down to mid-thigh, a gold blouse with ruffled down the front, and a pair of white heels.

Her hair was done up in a high ponytail, but two large curled locks hung down the sides of her face. She wore a silver bracelet on each hand and ruby and silver chain choker.

* * *

The rest of the girls', bar Musa, breath hitched in their throats. They'd been told by their pixies about what was going on in this reality, but hearing it and seeing are two very different matters. They all quickly blinked away the tears that had come rushing into their eyes before anyone noticed.

"Why'd you two go off like that?" Brandon asked Riven and Carmen.

"None of your business," Carmen snapped.

"Okay," Brandon lifted his hands in surrender. "Butt out, I get it."

"Hey, who're they?" Timmy asked, nodding his head towards the Winx.

"Just some stupid fairies," Carmen waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey!" the girls with Brandon and Timmy, Crystal, and Disapro shouted in indignation.

"Excuse me?" Stella spoke up. "'Stupid fairies'? We're—"

Bloom covered the fairy of the sun's mouth before she could go into a full out rant. "Sorry about that," she laughed nervously. "Those two didn't really get off on the right foot."

"I'm Musa," Musa introduced herself.

"Layla," the brown-haired princess continued.

"_Princess_ Stella of Solaria," the blonde huffed, putting an emphasis on her title.

"I'm Flora," Flora said softly.

"My names is Tecna," the magenta-haired fairy replied.

"And I'm Bloom," Bloom introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you," Brandon smiled.

Stella felt her knees go weak, but stayed strong. _'He's not your Snookums. He's not your Snookums. He's not your Snookums,'_ was the mantra going through her head.

"My name's Brandon," the light-brown-haired specialist told the girls. "And this is my girlfriend, Aria." The azure-haired girl waved and the Winx returned the sentiment, Stella reluctantly.

"I'm Helia," the navy-haired specialist introduced himself. "And this is my girlfriend, Crystal." Crystal granted them a smile, though she had pensive glint in her eyes.

"I'm Sky, and this is my fiancée, Diaspro," the blonde specialist told the girls.

"My name's Timmy, and this is Miranda," the orange-haired specialist introduced himself and his girlfriend.

"And that's Riven and his girlfriend, Carmen," Brandon finished when it was apparent that the magenta-haired male wouldn't be saying anything, and neither was his girlfriend.

Crystal's eyes suddenly widened in realization. "I remember where I know you from now! You're those girls that weren't able to get their Charmix until last year!" She cocked her head. "But what's with the makeovers? And since when are you all such great friends?"

The Winx blushed in reminder of what this reality's versions of them were like. "That's our little secret," Tecna winked.

"Hey, we need to get back to Alfea before it gets too late and Griselda decides to give us detention," Bloom reminded her friends. She turned to the Specialsts and their girlfriends. "Sorry, but we really do need to get going."

The girls and the Specialists said their goodbyes before the Winx headed on back to Alfea.

The minute the Winx had come back into their room, they collapsed into a heap on the floor and began to cry the tears that they didn't shed earlier that day.

"I can't believe he's with a witch!" Musa choked out.

"I can't believe that this is even happening," Bloom wept. "But it is and we can't do anything about it, but try and find a way home."

"Do we go and tell Ms. Faragonda?" Flora hiccupped, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "She could help us."

Tecna shook her head and said quietly, "There's a chance that she might not believe us. It's best to do the research on our own. But…"

"But?" Layla repeated.

"I don't know if we _can_ get home from here," Tecna finished. "I've never read about that spell that was used on us before, so I don't know if there's a counter spell."

And with that, the Winx went silent before picking themselves up and walking into their rooms before promptly falling asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows.

* * *

-Red Fountain; Riven-

Riven lay wide awake in bed and stared at the ceiling as he thought about the encounter he and his friends had with those five fairies. _'Musa…'_

**_Winx~Club_**

-Brandon-

Brandon was sitting on his bed, reading a book. After a few moments, his eyes no longer saw the words on the page and his mind didn't process the

_'Blondie was pretty cute,'_ Brandon thought with a soft chuckle. _'And she's got a temper, too. Stella, huh? I like it…'_

**_Winx~Club_**

-Helia-

Helia sat at his desk, scratching his pencil aimlessly on the paper, but not really focusing on it.

_'She was beautiful…'_ he thought wistfully. _'There's something about her that draws me in…'_

He dropped his pencil onto the desk and looked down at his paper, only to release a small chuckle. _'Flora,'_ he thought, as he looked down at the unconscious sketch he'd made of the nature fairy.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Timmy-

Timmy sat typing away at his computer, coming up with a new program he thought would be beneficial to Red Fountain.

His eyes strayed a bit and his fingers slowed until they stopped all together. Tecna's image appeared in his head. _'She was beautiful…Tecna…I like it…'_

**_Winx~Club_**

-Sky-

Sky sat at his desk just reading over a few documents his father had sent over for him to look over. He stared at the reddish-gold print of the margins and couldn't help but think back to the red-orange-haired fairy he'd been introduced to today.

_'Bloom…'_

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	4. IMPORTANT: Author's Note

**IMPROTANT UPDATE: AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

I'm pretty sure there might be questions about the Winx from the last chapter, so here's the answer to what I think might be the most common question: The reason the Winx are still in schools is because I remember Ms. Faragonda saying back somewhere in season 2 that those that do not obtain their Charmix will not pass the year and go on to the next. Now, in this reality, the Winx girls didn't obtain their Charmix until two years after their official sophomore year, hence the reason why they're still in school.

Now another thing I'd like to point out just in case of confusion is that because of the Trix going after Stella's ring in season 1, this caused the Winx Club to initially form through Stella meeting Bloom and sneaking her into the school. And because of that, it was how Bloom technically had the desire to find out who she was. After Bloom found out who she was, this led to her wanting to find out more about her past, leading to the incidents with Professor Avalon in the second season, which led to Bloom wanting to find out more about her parents and save them in the third season.

In this reality, the Trix never attacked because they never had any interest in Stella's ring, thinking it was just a conduit for her magic and because they never sensed the Dragon Fire until the Winx girls plopped into this new universe (this will be explained later on in the story, though it was shown slightly already). And because the Trix never attacked, this means that none of the other foes had awakened nor attacked either.


	5. 4- Of Plans Good and Bad

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Enjoy the chapter and remember to read and review!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Of Plans Good and Bad~Oo**

_"Daphne! Mother! Father!" Bloom called out into the darkness. "Mom! Dad! Sky!"_

_No one answered her call, and the fairy of the dragon fire saw the darkness creeping towards her. "No…no, stay back!" She tried to transform, but to no avail._

_"Poor little princess," the voice of one of the three Ancestral Witches sneered._

_"No one to turn to," another cackled._

_So she ran._

_"And nowhere left to run!" the last said mockingly._

_But the darkness was only too quick to catch up to the fleeing fairy. Bloom tripped and landed on the ground and screamed as the darkness engulfed her completely. "NOOOO!"_

_"…p!"_

_"…ke up!"_

_"BLOOM! WAKE UP!"_

* * *

Bloom's blue eyes snapped open as she snapped up in her bed, panting. She looked at the hand on her shoulder and followed it up the arm connected to it, to find Flora and the rest of the girls standing there around her bed with worried expressions painted on their faces. The pixies were all hovering over the redhead's bed

"Sweetie," Flora said gently, "are you okay?"

"What happened?" Musa asked. "That looked like some dream…"

Bloom watched as each of the girls sat around her on her bed and sighed before explaining her dream. "But what worries me the most is that I haven't had a dream like that in a long time. Sure, Daphne sends me visions, but I haven't had a dream about the Ancestresses in so long…"

Everyone was silent. "This is indeed something to be worried about," Tecna said quietly.

"I just thought of something," Layla's eyes widened. "In our world, because the Trix came after Stella first, she met you, and then the rest of us. But then the Trix directly attacked you to get the Dragon Fire and they succeeded. My guess is that since the Trix never came after you, you never met Stella or us the way you did and because they never went after neither Stella nor you, you never had a reason to find your birth parents."

"I guess you're right," Stella mused. "I never thought about it, but everything began with Icy, Darsi, and Stormy. It was how we became friends and it was because of them that Bloom wanted to look for her parents and find out everything she could about her past."

"I guess in a roundabout way, we owe them," Flora giggled.

This set the rest of the girls into a bout of laughter.

"Come on," Flora spoke, tucking Bloom back underneath the covers. "We should get back to bed. Remember, Ms. F has another lesson planned for us in the morning."

And with that, the girls all went back to their respective beds, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

-Cloud Tower-

"Ladies," Icy ordered, "summon your Whisperian Crystals. It's time we find out just where the Dragon Fire is."

Stormy and Darsi nodded as they three began to chant and move their hands around in a specific pattern.

A long thin ice-blue crystal with a white-blue line trailing over the crystal appeared in front of Icy; a magenta crystal in the shape of a fancy two-bulb vial with a white-magenta line trailing over it appeared in front of Stromy; and a violet crystal in the shape of a vial with a long neck and a white-violet line trailing over it appeared in front of Darsi.

"Whisperian Crystals of our souls form the Whisperian Triangle!" Icy commanded.

The Trix watched as the crystals floated around before a ray of crackling lightning connected them all into a triangular formation.

"Now," the silver-haired witch of ice smiled maliciously. "Tell us the location of the Dragon Fire."

And image rippled into focus in the centre of the triangle, showing Alfea, or more specifically, the part where Bloom and her friends lived.

But then, the imaged went faded into static.

"What the—?" Icy's eyes widened. "Something's messing with the crystals' power!"

"It's at Alfea, then?" Stormy asked, scratching her head, in confusion.

"It's the last place any one would think to look for it," Darsi shrugged.

"And now it's the one place we're going to find it," a feral grin spread over the ice witch's lips. "Even if we have to destroy every last pixie inside that cutsie school!"

The Trix broke out into maniacal laughs, never noticing the little black creature flying away back to its master.

* * *

-Alfea; The Next Day-

"All right, girls," Ms. Faragonda told them from outside of the Virtual Reality Chamber, "This will be a simple test to see how long you can last with your Charmix in several different situations. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ms. Faragonda," the Winx nodded. "Let's go: Charmix!"

A bright light flashed around the girls as they transformed into their Charmix forms (Musa still with her long hair) and waited for the Chamber to activate.

"Good luck, girls," the headmistress nodded to the girls as Professor Paladuim switched on the Chamber and turned a few dials and pushed a few buttons.

The environment the girls were in changed to form a sort of swamp.

"Yeck! What _is_ this place?" Stella asked, plugging her nose.

"I don't this is any time for questions!" Bloom shouted. "Look!" She pointed to something in the distance.

The rest of the girls looked in the direction Bloom was pointing in and saw a large creature charging at them.

The girls flew up into the air and assumed battle stances. Their test had begun.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Outside of Virtual Chamber-

"They're doing quite well," Palladium commented as he and Faragonda watched the girls fight and use their powers in the different situations and environments. "There's something different about them, but I just can't put my finger on what it is."

Faragonda observed the girls as they fought. The way they worked together, they way they used their magic in combination…it wasn't something that could happen overnight; a friendship that close was something that is built up with age.

And as far as she knew, those girls had never been very close friends; yes they knew each other and were cordial, but they weren't close by any means. And the way they fought…it looked experienced, as though they'd fought together before. Not only that, but they seemed to be in complete control of their powers; quite a feat for students that had apparently just earned their Charmix.

_'What is going on?'_ the headmistress wondered.

It wasn't until another hour passed that Faragonda announced that the test was over. She walked over to the girls as they came out of the chamber, looking a little tired.

"A job well done, girls," the headmistress complimented. "But if I may ask, how are you able to control and use your Charmix so well? I've never known students to take to their Charmix powers like a duck to water."

"And the use of convergence was something not many can pull off," Palladium added. "But the six of you executed it perfectly."

The girls shared a quick glance at each other. "We've had a lot of practice," Bloom said finally.

"Can we go now, Ms. Faragonda?" Musa asked. "We still have homework from Professor Wizgiz to finish up."

Faragonda nodded and she and Palladium watched as the Winx left the Chamber.

"They were telling the truth," Palladium commented.

"But not all of it," Ms. Faragonda narrowed her eyes slightly.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

"That was a close one," Layla said, slumping into a seat.

"They noticed how we're way more advanced than we should be," Tecna bit her lip. "This isn't good. We need to tone it down a bit to avoid causing suspicion."

And with that, the six girls just sat there in silence.

Suddenly, Bloom sat up straight, eyes wide. "I just thought of something, you guys." She turned to her friends. "We know that in this world, the Trix haven't attacked, right?"

The rest of the Winx nodded. "But that doesn't mean they don't exist! What if they're around and are just holding back for a while?"

"You have a point there," Musa admitted. Her eyes widened now as well. "Oh no, what if it's the same with Darkar and Valtor?"

"And there are also the Wizards of the Black Circle," Flora reminded them. "They could still be around, but not released yet."

"This makes things a little more complicated…" Tecna sighed.

"Okay, I've got an idea," Layla spoke up. "We can't take them down if we don't know they exist, right? So why don't we just go and check on them? That way we know if this place is really even safe."

"That sounds like a plan, Layla," Stella nodded, "But how the heck are we supposed to get out of the school to get to Cloud Tower, let alone Shadowhaunt or the Omega Dimension?"

The girl sat in silence once more as they filtered through different ideas they could use.

"Hey," Bloom said slowly, "it's almost winter, right?"

"Yes," Flora nodded.

"Do you remember how we celebrated Christmas here at Alfea?" Bloom asked.

The girls nodded.

"Why don't I ask Ms. F if we can go to my house for the holidays?" the redhead suggested. "That'll be the perfect chance to see what they're up to."

"That sounds like a good plan," Layla agreed. "But what if Ms. Faragonda doesn't let us all go?"

"Then we'll just have to sneak out," Musa spoke up. "It's the only way…"

"We'll get in a lot of trouble," Stella pointed out.

"But a lot of people will be in danger if Valtor, Darkar the Trix, and the Wizards of the Black Circle are loose," Flora said.

"We all can check on the painting that the Wizards were sealed in today," Musa suggested.

The girls all nodded.

"As I know the terrain of the Omega Dimension the best, I'll go there," Tecna told them all.

"Not without me," Bloom placed a hand on the magenta-haired fairy's shoulder. "If Valtor _is_ down there and not as frozen as we thought, it'll be a big problem."

"But don't we need to get the Water Stars, too?" Stella spoke up. "If Valtor really is alive, we need them to defeat him!"

"Stella and I can get those," Musa announced with the blonde fairy nodding in agreement.

"Wait, we shouldn't get them unless we're absolutely sure that Valtor's not in Omega," Bloom spoke up. "As much as I hate to say it, we need to wait until we know for sure."

Stella and Musa looked at each other and then the other before nodding in agreement.

"I can check up on the Trix," Flora suggested.

"Just be really careful, Flora," Layla told the fairy of nature. "We don't know just how powerful they are in this world."

"I'll go with Flo," Musa told them.

"What about ShadowHaunt?" Tecna pointed out. "Last time only Layla, Bloom, and Stella were strong enough to go."

"I'll be taking that job," the fairy of waves told the others. "I know the Underrealm like the back of my hand by now."

"I'm coming with you," Stella told the fairy of waves.

"I have another question," Musa spoke up. "Just which form do we go in? Our Charmix may not be enough."

"I think we should stick with either our Enchantix or Believix," Tecna suggested. "They're not as powerful as our Sirenix, but they should do for the time being. Besides, we don't want to attract a lot of attention to ourselves."

Silence reigned over the group of six.

"So it's settled, then?" Bloom confirmed.

The other nodded.

"Then let's check out the painting right now," Musa suggested. "And then you can go and ask Ms. F, Bloom."

And with that, the girls all set off for the hall of paintings.

"Which one was it?" Stella asked, as she cringed at some of the darker-toned pieces of art.

"I think I found it…" Flora's voice trailed off nervously.

The girls walked to the fairy of music to see what made her so nervous. When they reached the painting the bluish-black-haired fairy stood in front of, their breath hitched in their throats and their hearts topped for a moment.

"This is really bad," Musa muttered, wide-eyed.

"I'll say," Layla said. "At least we have our answer."

"That's not helping, Layla," Bloom murmured.

What the girls were staring at was an empty canvas. But what had them so spooked was the fact that the canvas was devoid of the four figures belonging to the Wizards of the Black Circle.

"I think I'll go and ask Ms. F right now," Bloom said faintly, walking away, the other girls following after her, but separating to go back to their dorm.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room; One Hour Later-

"So what did she say?" Stella asked when Bloom stepped through the door.

The redhead shook her head. "She said that she wanted us to practice more with our Charmix and work on earning our Enchantix, so we're definitely not getting any breaks."

"Then I guess we have to do it the hard way," Tecna sighed. "Why does it always have to be this way?"

"Because sometimes people don't listen as well as they should?" Musa suggested.

"Because people are too paranoid for their own good?" Stella added.

"Guys," Bloom smiled exasperatedly at the two.

"So when should we do it?" Layla asked, looking at each of the Winx girls.

"We have to do it tonight," Bloom told them all. "The Wizards of the Black Circle are out there somewhere and if they've been released, who knows what else is happening out there!"

Flora gasped.

The girls turned to her. "What's wrong, Flora?" Stella asked.

"I just thought of something," the light-brown-haired fairy said. "Roxy! If the Wizards of the Black Circle are out there, then they'll go after her!"

"This puts a wrench in those plans…" Musa groaned. Then she sat up. "Wait a second: We all remember how to get to, Tír na nÓg right?"

The Winx girls nodded while the pixies looked a little confused. Noticing this, Stella gave a quick rundown of what had happened the year before with the Wizards of the Black Circle.

"Why don't we just take Roxy and her father there?" Musa asked.

"I guess that could work," Bloom said slowly. "But don't the Wizards know how to get there?"

"That would pose quite the predicament," Tecna nodded.

"What about Alfea? Or even Red Fountain?" Flora suggested. "Roxy and her father will be safe here or there, right?"

"That would work," Layla nodded. "But how do we protect them from the Wizards?"

"We can put a protection spell on them using our Sirenix powers," Bloom pointed out. "It's a lot stronger than our Believix and Harmonix, and we defeated the Wizards with our Believix, so a spell done with our Sirenix shouldn't be penetrable."

"But a spell like that would need constant recharging," Flora spoke up.

"What about a charm or something?" Stella asked. "I remember reading something a few weeks ago about spelled jewelry that can change depending on the outfit you wear. What if we did something like it for Roxy and her father? We could spell a few charms or something for them and it could protect them if we're not there."

Surprised, everyone looked at Stella. "What?" She looked around at her friends. "Oh come on, it's not that surprising, is it? I can think about things other than fashion, you know."

"Sorry Stella, but hearing you sound almost like Tecna was a little weird," Layla chuckled.

"Anyway," Bloom told the blonde fairy, "That's a great idea! A few charmed trinkets like key chains or a bracelet would be the perfect cover for a protection spell and no one would know."

"But what if Roxy and her father try to take them off?" Musa asked. "What do we do then?"

"It's only a matter of a simple locking and mild compulsion spell," Flora winked. "We'll spell whatever we give them with a locking spell so that they'll never come off until we release the spell. And the compulsion spell is so that if they ever want to take the trinket off, the thought will be erased and replaced with a thought to not take the trinket off."

"Isn't that dark magic?" Amore spoke up finally.

"It's not, Sweetie," Flora assured the little pixie of love. "I remember reading about the compulsion spell in a book here a few years ago. I'll just need to find them again to get the incantation. And the locking spell is something all girls know to keep unwanted guests out of their things."

Relieved, Amore nodded and snuggled into Stella, the other Pixies doing the same with their bonded fairy.

"I'll bring Roxy and her father to Alfea," Bloom told them all. She turned to Tecna. "But this means you'll be going to Omega on your own. Are you okay with that?"

"I'll be fine," the fairy of technology assured her friend. "And if I need help, I'll give you all a call."

"Well, we've got to get to work if we want to get out by tonight," Musa looked out of the window to see the sun still high in the sky. "We only have a couple hours, I think."

And with that, the girls all went to work. Flora and Layla rushed off to the library to find the compulsion spell, Stella and Bloom started to design and plan out the trinkets, while Tecna and Musa began the layout of which protections spells would be used and in what order.

It wasn't until a few hours after the sun went down that the girls were finally finished.

"And that's that," Musa and Tecna slumped down beside the other girls.

They'd created a small silver charm bracelet for Roxy. The bracelet had little animals hanging off of every other chain link, each made with silver, but the eyes were all done in different stones.

And for Roxy's father, Rick, they'd created a small navy surfboard pendant hanging from a silver chain with a small hibiscus done in red stone.

"I guess we should head out now," Bloom looked up at the waning moon that had already risen.

"Let's go: Enchantix!" Flora and Musa shouted.

"Believix!" Stella, Bloom, Layla, and Tecna followed their lead.

There was a flash of light and there stood the Winx in either their Enchantix or Believix forms. They all started to walk towards the window before Stella stopped. "Wait!" she exclaimed.

She walked over to their Pixies and snapped her fingers. There was a slight glow around the pixies before each of the tiny girls turned into their bonded fairy.

"Now, I want all of you to get into our beds and get to sleep, all right?" Stella ordered. "We can't have anyone finding out that we're gone."

The girls all watched as their pixies went into their rooms and fell fast asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.

Stella nodded to the other Winx girls and they all took off from the window.

* * *

-Red Fountain-

Codatorta stretched as he finished his rounds about the grounds, looking for anyone out of bed past their curfew.

"Well, all's clear over in this area," he muttered in his Scottish accented voice. He turned around, possibly to go to bed, but stopped when he heard something.

The Head of Discipline looked up and saw the glow of two pairs of fairy wings come from where the silhouette of Alfea was located.

"This can' be good," he murmured. "What would a couple o' fairies be doin' out o' bed this late? Faragonda won' be happy 'bout this…"

(AN: Unfortunately, I can only imagine Codatorta speaking with that Scottish accent from the 4Kids dubbing, so just bear with me.)

He walked off to the headmaster's office to tell Saladin about what he'd seen.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	6. 5- Inspecting

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Now, mind you, the first time I'd began watching Winx Club, I'd watched the 4Kids dub, so now, I have those voices stuck in my head for the time being. So any voices I'm imagining are from the 4Kids dub. Though some are from the Nickelodeon dub.

Remember to review, but If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all! Remember, this is my first Winx Club fic, so even I don't know how it'll turn out since I'm doing this on a whim.

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Inspecting~Oo**

"Winx Zoomix!" Stella, Musa, Bloom, Layla, and Tecna shouted, summoning their Zoomix wings and flashing off to their destinations.

(AN: If I remember correctly, the Zoomix wings are normally used for short-distance travel/teleportation, but here I've made it so that they can be used for any distance without a range.)

Once her friends were gone, Flora flew off towards Cloud Tower, subconsciously placing a cloaking spell around her, to prevent detection.

"Now where would those three be?" The fairy of nature muttered as she flew up to the large ominous castle.

She stopped and put a hand to her chin in thought before Musa snapped her fingers. "I know! We can use that tracking spell Ms. F taught us!" The fairy of music recited a few words and moved her hands in a certain pattern twice before a pulse ran through her body. A shimmering stream of magenta, visible only to her, rushed out from her body, traveling in the direction of the Trix.

Flora quickly flew off after Musa, following the stream, only to end up at one of the higher towers, in front of the windows to a dorm room. Curiously, but warily, the duo looked in through the window and found themselves staring at three beds, one icy-blue, the next maroon, and the last violet.

_'I don't even need to think to figure out who lives here,'_ she thought, staring at the names etched into the looked around the room for any sign of the witches when the doors to the rooms opened to reveal Darsi and Stormy.

"When are we going to do it?" Stormy gritted her teeth. "I hate waiting!" Her body crackled with lavender electricity.

"Calm down, Drama Queen," Darsi yawned as she lay down in her bed. "Icy said we'll attack that cutsie school soon. We need the right opportunity or we're dead if Griffin or Faragonda get wind of this."

Flora gasped quietly. _'Uh-oh…' _ She continued listening.

"Before you know it, the Dragon Fire will be ours," Darsi chuckled darkly.

Hearing that, Flora nodded to Musa and quickly zoomed off back to Alfea, intent on informing the girls when they came back.

* * *

-Red Fountain-

"Who is knocking at this hour?" Headmaster Saladin groaned as he went behind his desk "Enter."

The door opened to reveal a grim Codatorta.

"Codatorta, just what are you doing here?" Saladin glared at the Head of Discipline. "And at this time of night?"

"Headmaster," Codatorta began carefully, "I was out doin' me rounds, but I saw somethin' that ye migh' want to know."

"Well what is it?" The headmaster of Red Fountain gestured for the strong man in front of him to continue.

"Two fairies were seen flyin' off from Alfea, Sir," Coadatorta reported.

"What?" Saladin was now wide-awake.

"What would a couple fairies be doing up at this time of night?" He all but shouted. "They shouldn't be up anyway; their curfew was a few hours ago!"

"I know," the head of discipline nodded. "I though' ye should know so tha' Headmistress Faragonda can be alerted."

"Thank you Codatorta," Saladin ran his hand over his face wearily. "You can go off to bed now, I'll inform Faragonda of what's happened."

Codatorta set the headmaster a salute before stepping out of the room.

Once his professor left, Saladin pressed a button on his desk in front of a small holo-orb which let loose a small, but wide stream of light. "Headmistress Faragonda, Alfea," he said.

There was silence for a moment before Faragonda's image appeared within the light. "Is something wrong Saladin?" she asked tiredly.

"I'm afraid there is," Saladin said wearily. "Two of your fairies were spotted leaving your school just minutes before."

"What?" Alfea's headmistress' eyes were now wide open.

"We don't know where they've gone," Saladin reported. "But Codatorta said that he spotted two fairied leaving the building."

"Thank you telling me, Saladin," Faragonda sighed. "Good night."

Saladin nodded. "Good night."

* * *

-ShadowHaunt-

Layla and Stella arrived at the entrance to the Underrealm in a flash of light. They closed their eyes as they let their Believix transformation fade. "Let's go: Enchantix!"

In a matter of seconds, there stood Layla and Stella in their Enchantix forms. Stella flew after Layla as the princess of Andros followed the route she knew by heart until they came to the large stone pillar-lair she remembered.

The princess of Andros quickly cast a cloaking spell around the both of them, much like Flora, and flew into the lair of Lord Darkar.

"This is very interesting," came the voice Layla hoped not to hear. "Very interesting indeed. Those three witches want the Dragon Fire, do they? Well, then, let's see what they do next, shall we?"

Stella took a quick peek into the throne room and saw Darkar sitting on his throne, looking into a smoky viewing portal with an image of the Trix in it. She looked back at Layla and gave her a grim nod.

_'He's going to get the Trix to join him again!' _Forming their own conclusions, Layla and Stella flew away as quickly as their wings could carry them. _'But how did he wake up?'_

* * *

-Alfea-

Ms. Faragonda pushed the button, much like Saladin's, and watched as the face of the headmaster of Red Fountain's face dissipated.

She closed her eyes and cupped her hands out in front of her. In a matter of seconds, a small orb glowing with a white-cream glow hovered in her palms.

"All teachers to the Headmistress' Office. Immediately!" The headmistress spoke to the orb. She let the orb go and watched as it flew through the door, no doubt to alert the professors.

"What's going on, Headmistress?" Griselda asked as she and the rest of the Alfea staff rushed into Faragonda's office.

"I've called you here because we've encountered a predicament," Faragonda said gravely. "Two of our students were seen leaving the campus after curfew. However, we don't know who they are, where they've gone, why they left, or if they've even returned."

The professors looked at each other for a moment. "What do you want us to do?" Professor Avalon asked.

"Call the students out of the dorms and search through them to see who snuck out," the headmistress ordered.

The teachers all gave a nod to the elder woman and rushed out of the office to do as she'd told them.

However, they never noticed the small figure glowing with icy-blue sparkles in front of the window and zipping away when the professors had gone.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

"Flora!" Chatta shouted, panicked. "Musa! We've got a problem!"

"Calm down, Sweetie," the fairy of nature tried placating the pixie of technology. "Now what's wrong?"

"Ms. Faragonda saw you guys leave the school!" the little pixie shouted. "They're going to wake everyone and search to see who's missing!"

"Oh man!" Musa's eyes widened. "I'll go and call the girls! Stella's spell may be good, but it won't last forever…" she took out the communicator that Tecna had created for all of them and pushed a few buttons.

"What's up, Musa?" came Bloom's voice.

"Bloom, you and the others need to get back to Alfea!" Flora all but shouted. "Ms. F saw a few of us leave and now she's trying to find who snuck out! And I don't think Stella's spell can stop them from finding out that you're gone! They could just cancel out the spell and we'd be done for!"

"What!" Stella shouted.

"We'll get back as soon as we can," Layla assured the fairy of nature with Tecna making a sound of agreement.

"Okay," Flora said worriedly as she watched the door.

Just then, there was a flash of light and there stood the rest of the Winx in their Believix forms.

"Did we make it in time?" Stella asked urgently.

Musa nodded, relieved. "They haven't come here yet, but we have to get into bed so no one gets suspicious."

And with that, the girls all powered down from their transformations and changed into their pajamas while cancelling out the spell Stella had placed on the pixies.

"Everyone up!" Came Griselda's voice from behind their door. "Report to the Lecture Hall in the East Wing! IMMEDIATELY!"

The Winx quickly scrambled out of bed and joined the throng of girls headed for the lecture hall. They all exchanged a quick glance before looking back forward.

"You all may be wondering just why I've called you all here at this time of night," Ms. Faragonda told the students. "I've been notified that two of our students have been seen sneaking out of the school after curfew."

Whispers and muttering began spreading around through the students.

"Silence!" Griselda commanded and all went hush.

"Thank you," the headmistress nodded to her assistant principal. "Each professor will be in charge of a certain group of students. We would like you all to line up, single file, and tell the professors your names, so they may check you off of our list."

And so the girls did as they were told and went to their designated teacher and told them their names.

"Well?" Ms. Faragonda asked when she and the teacher grouped together in a huddle after all the students were seated.

"It just doesn't make sense," Wizgiz scratched his head. "Everyone seems to be accounted for, but if there were students missing, shouldn't they have not shown up on the list?"

"There is more going on here that meets the eye," Faragonda rubbed her chin pensively.

"They could have been tipped off about the search," Palladium suggested.

"But how?" Professor DuFour asked. "Even if someone tipped them off, there's no way a fairy can fly back here fast enough without being found out first."

"That's true," Griselda conceded.

"We have no choice," Faragonda sighed. "As we've found no one, we can't punish anyone."

"Then we just let them go? Griselda asked, aghast at the thought of letting someone get away with breaking the rules.

"We have no other choice," Faragonda repeated. "We've found no culprit and it wouldn't be fair to punish everyone for the mistakes of two individuals."

The professor gave a nod and let the headmistress speak.

"We've found no one missing tonight," Ms. Faragonda announced. "However, that doesn't mean that no one left at all. Now I hope I don't need to remind you that sneaking out after curfew is a violation of the school's rules and those who are found breaking them will be given a punishment equal to the severity of their crime." Her eyes wandered around the tired faces of her students. "Now, off to bed with all of you," she said, shooing them away.

"Who do you think snuck out?" Palladium asked.

"I don't know," Faragonda told him. "But I _will_ find out and I will find out _why_."

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

"That was a close one," Stella slumped into a beanbag chair.

"Tell me about it," Musa said, sitting on a couch next to Flora and Layla. "I thought she'd know for sure."

"Did you guys find out anything?" Bloom asked.

"The Trix are planning to attack Alfea soon," Flora said worriedly. "They know the Dragon Fire is here, but I don't know when they'll be coming."

"And I don't know how," Layla began slowly. "But Darkar is, somehow, awake and is watching the witches. I think he wants to recruit them like he did in our world."

"Tecna?" Bloom turned to the magenta-haired fiary.

She shook her head. "I wasn't able to get very far into Omega before Flora called."

Bloom nodded. "Same with me. I was going around Gardenia, looking for Roxy and Rick, but Flora called before I could search through the entire town."

"So all we know is that the Trix are planning something and Darkar has his eyes on them," Bloom sighed. "Great, Just great."

"But at least we know about the Trix and Darkar now," Flora spoke up, trying to cheer them up.

"That's right," Layla added. "We can at least keep an eye out for whatever they do now."

"So should we go back out tomorrow night?" Tecna asked.

"We can try again," Musa said after a moment. "But I think we should all go one at a time. That way, no one will get so suspicious and the rest of us are here to cover for who's gone."

"I'll go tomorrow night, then," Bloom told the girls. "I'll get Roxy and Rick here as fast as I can. Who knows what those Fairy Hunters could do if we don't find them in time!"

"I'll go after that," Tecna spoke up.

"But guys, I don't understand something," Musa spoke. "Why haven't the Trix thought of coming to Alfea before now? Why is Darkar awake all of a sudden?"

"Musa's right," Stella said. "There's something not right about this. I mean back in our world, thorse witches knew about my ring and found the Dragon Fire in Bloom. Darkar must have woke up after Bloom used her Dragon Fire to beat Icy."

"But that doesn't explain why the witches would suddenly come after the Dragon Fire now and not before," Flora finished. "And neither does it explain why Darkar would be awake now since it looks like the Bloom of this world might now have realized that she's the keeper of the Dragon Fire."

_"But something went wrong and the chamber malfunctioned, leaving the six of your sapped of your strength and letting out a discharge of magic."_ Professor Wizgiz's word echoed around in Tecna's head. Her eyes widened.

"The magical discharge," she whispered, casing the rest of the girls to look at the magenta-haired fairy.

"What?" Layla asked, having not heard the fairy of technology clearly.

"The magical discharge," Tecna said louder. "Professor Wizgiz said that while 'we' were in the Virtual Reality Chamber, something went wrong and a magical discharge was released. I think what must have happened was when we were dropped into this world, the magic used to bring us here, must have let out a discharge of the exact amount of power the spell used and took from us. It was probably that discharge that led to Darkar's early awakening and the Trix's sudden interest in coming to Alfea to find the Dragon Fire."

"Then that mean that Valtor might have been released, too," Bloom said quietly after a moment.

"It would seem very likely," Tecna said solemnly. "But we don't know for sure yet."

The girls nodded at that, and went into their rooms where they promptly fell asleep.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	7. 6- Girls Day Out

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Okay, I'm just going to warn you all right now, when I do descriptions, they usually tend to be long, depending on how simple or complicated the outfit is, so don't be surprised.

Remember to review, but If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all! Remember, this is my first Winx Club fic, so even I don't know how it'll turn out since I'm doing this on a whim.

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Girls Day Out~Oo**

"What do you want to do?" Stella asked as she looked out into the cloudy sky.

"How about a day in Magix?" Layla suggested. "There's supposed to be some new club opening today."

"That's sounds like a plan," Bloom said slowly. She turned to the rest of the Winx. "Girls?"

"I'm in," Musa winked.

Flora nodded with a smile.

Tecna thought for a moment. "It _would_ nice to relax for a bit…" in the end, she just gave a nod.

"Sure!" Stella exclaimed. "But we're not going without doing some shopping first!"

The girls groaned, knowing how their blonde friend loved to shop; but still smiled at their friend's antics.

"So what are we waiting for?" Layla asked. "Let's go!"

"Not without our raincoats!" Stella reminded. She snapped her fingers and in a twirl of sparkles, each girl stood in their own rain outfit. "Now remember, these keep us warm and dry, while also making us look fabulous!"

* * *

Tecna wore a multi-coloured striped midriff-baring hoodie with a flower-printed hood that had a visor. A pair of gold detached sleeves began where the hoodie's sleeves ended and went down to her wrists. Her hands were encased in periwinkle wrist gloves, she wore a pair of green shorts that went down to the ends of her thighs,and a pair of knee-high striped boots with a wedge heel.

**_Winx~Club_**

Stella wore a lime-green star-printed trench coat that stopped at the end of her thighs with sleeves ending a few inches above her wrist with orange cuffs and an orange belt cinched around her waist. She wore a pair of orange wrist-length gloves; an orange scar with tiny blue sand white stripes, a pair of orange star-printed boots with a lime-green wedge heel, and an orange beanie with lime-green zigzags and a violet butterfly was on her head. Her hair was left down.

**_Winx~Club_**

Bloom wore a pink and light-pink trench coat with tiny red hearts and sleeves ending at a few inches above her wrists over a pink long-sleeved shirt. She wore a pair of pink mid-thigh-length shorts, a pair of aqua knee-high heeled boots with a lime-green bow over a pair of light-pink thigh-high socks with red hearts. She wore a pair of lime-green wrist-length gloves, a pink choker with a lime-green flower on the side, and an aqua beret on her head. Her hair was left down.

**_Winx~Club_**

Flora wore a magenta coat that went down to mid-thigh with a belt slung around her hips and periwinkle buttons with sleeves that stopped a few inches above her wrists above a pink polo-neck. She wore a pair of violet calf-high boots with a wedge heel over a pair of neon-green thigh-high socks with pink edging, a pair of neon-green wrist-length gloves, and a violet beret sat on her head. Her hair was left down.

**_Winx~Club_**

Musa wore a pink and blue coat with elbow-length sleeves over an orange and green striped long-sleeved shirt. She wore a mid-thigh-length skirt that was in the same pattern as her coat with a yellow belt cinched around her waist. She wore a pair of sky-blue wedge-heeled boots that went to just above her knees, and a hat of the same color sat on her head with a light-pink visor. Her hair was tied into a pair of braids that fell to her hips.

**_Winx~Club_**

Layla wore a light-pink, magenta and grey coat with elbow-length sleeves, a pair of lime-green calf-high boots with a wedge heel over a pair of grey thigh-high socks, a pair of light-grey wrist-length gloves, and a light-pink and grey beret was on her head. Her hair was left down.

* * *

And so the girls headed on out to Magix and did some shopping here and there, waiting for the time when the club would open.

"We should get ready if we're going to make it to the club in time for the grand opening," Layla said a few hours later.

"Leave _that_ to _moi_!" Stella winked as she snapped her fingers. A shower of sparkles twirled around the Winx as their rainy day outfits changed into something more suited for clubbing.

* * *

Stella was wearing a sleeveless forest-green dress that went down to mid-thigh with mint-green ruffles at the bottom and pink fluff around her collar. She wore a pair of pink heart earrings, a violet bracelet and a pair of mint-green hells with pink fuzz around the edges. Her hair was left down thought her bangs were pulled back and two jeweled clips secure her hair on either side of her head.

**_Winx~Club_**

Musa wore a maroon mid-riff baring top with one long sleeve, a pair of violet shorts with a silver chain-link belt around her waist, and a pair of maroon heels with violet straps. She had maroon cord tied around her left elbow, a black scarf tied around her neck, and a pair of silver earrings dangling with little music notes. Her hair was left down, but with a small section pulled into a side ponytail.

**_Winx~Club_**

Flora wore a pink one-strap thigh-length dress with navy edging and a silver vine-print on the fabric, and a pair of silver heels. She wore a sapphire on silver armlet and large beaded hoops. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, which was then pulled into a thick braid with her bangs framing her face.

**_Winx~Club_**

Layla wore a pair of shimmering aqua capris with a gold belt slung around her hips, a dark-aqua midriff-baring top with a violet vest over it, and a pair of violet ankle-high stilettos. She wore gold bangles around her wrists and a pair of large gold hoops hung from her ears, she wore a white beret on her head and her hair was pulled into a pair of puffed pigtails.

**_Winx~Club_**

Tecna wore a pair of mint-green shorts with a magenta and mint-green halter neck top and a pair of magenta knee-high boots. She wore a silver bangle on each hand, a small silver star was painted under her left eyes, and a white fedora sat on her head. Her hair was left down.

**_Winx~Club_**

Bloom wore a pair of navy shorts with a white belt cinched around her waist, a light-blue and navy puff-sleeved midriff-baring top, and a pair of white knee-high stilettos. She wore a pair of large gold triple hoops in her ears, a couple colourful bangles on her wrists, and a navy and light-blue striped beret on her head. Her hair was left down.

* * *

"Cool!" Musa spun around once, taking in the feel of the outfit.

"These are great, Stella!" Bloom grinned.

"Of course!" Stella said in a haughty tone before they all broke out into laughs.

And with that, the Winx made their way to the club just as it had been opening for the first time.

Or at least they would've had Stella not stopped to flit around from the window of store to store to see the new designer merchandise.

"Stella!" The girls laughed.

"What?" she asked. "What did I do?"

The girls only shook their heads as they continued walking towards their destination, the blonde fairy questioning the entire way.

"Let's party!" Stella exclaimed as she linked her arms through Tecna's and Bloom's and dragged them onto the dance floor. Flora, Layla, and Musa just laughed at the trio and followed them onto the dance floor at a more sedate pace.

"This was a great idea," Tecna grinned at her friends as they all moved their bodies to the music.

"Definitely!" Musa winked.

The girls were so engrossed in the music and their conversations that they never noticed the five entering the large room.

"Why did we come here again?" Riven asked irritably.

"'Cause we all needed to just kick back for a bit and the girls had stuff to do at school," Sky answered.

* * *

Riven wore a pair of black pants, a deep-red shirt with ripped sleeves and a V-neck, a pair of black shoes with a slight heel, and a navy scarf tied around his neck. His hair seemed a little wilder towards the top of his 'spike'.

**_Winx~Club_**

Brandon wore a pair of cream-coloured pants with a brown belt around his waist and a darker-cream pattern on them, a white long-sleeved shirt that cinched at the wrists with a slight V-neck, and a pair of light-brown shoes.

**_Winx~Club_**

Sky wore a pair of light-grey pants tucked into light-maroon boots that stopped an inch or two below his knees, and a cream-coloured shirt much like Brandon but with a smaller V-neck. His hair was tied into a half-ponytail.

**_Winx~Club_**

Helia wore a pair of navy pants, a white shirt with loose selves and a deep V-neck, and a pair of black shoes. His hair was left in the loose ponytail, but he had a gold cord tied around his neck several times.

**_Winx~Club_**

Timmy wore a pair of blue pants, a white short-sleeved shirt with a light V-neck, and a pair of dark-brown shoes His hair was left as it was and his glasses were perched on his nose like always.

* * *

"I don't see why we had to come together," the magenta-haired male grumbled.

"Aw come on man, you love us," Brandon slung an arm around his shoulders and batted his eyelashes at him.

Suddenly, the lights went out and the music stopped.

"What gives?" Musa asked, looking around the now dark room.

"I think there might have been a power surge," Tecna said.

A loud clap was heard as everyone's attention was given to a man that had come up onto the stage where the DJ was.

"Yo! Name's Randy Rave, owner of the Rave Music Club!" the man shouted loud enough so that everyone could hear him. "I'm wicked sorry about this, but something happened to our power generator. So until we get someone here to fix this, you peeps need to stay put and not, like, panic!"

And with that, Randy jumped off of the stage and ran off to find someone or someway to fix the generator.

"This sucks," Layla groaned as she and the girls slumped into the couch placed around a table.

"I know," Stella groaned. Just then, she snapped her fingers and a small ball of light appeared on her fingertip. She waved the finger around and a ball of light hovered in the centre of the table.

**_Winx~Club_**

"What was that?" Timmy asked as he looked for the small glow that had just appeared.

"I think I know," Brandon said as he turned. "Look over there." He turned the guys all to look at the table the Winx sat at.

"Aren't those the Alfea idiots?" Riven said gruffly.

"They're not idiots Riven," Helia said sternly. "Cameron might say things like that, but you _know_ it's rude. And besides, just because someone needs more time to do something doesn't mean that the person is weak or an idiot."

"Yeah," Sky continued. "If I remember correctly, you didn't get used to dragon riding until our third year at Red Fountain."

Riven only looked away.

**_Winx~Club_**

"What are we supposed to do now?" Bloom groaned. "Just sit around doing nothing until everything's fine again?"

Flora only sighed, tapping her fingers on the table to no specific beat.

Musa suddenly grinned and added some clapping to Flora's rhythm.

Seeing what she was doing, Layla joined in by rubbing her hands to the beat. Bloom and Tecna giggled as they shook their wrists together, creating a tinkling sound with their bangles, while Stella clapped together with Musa.

The girls were attracting attention from the rest of the people in the club, but paid them no mind as they continued on with their fun.

**_Winx~Club_**

The Specialists only watched as the six fairies started their little form or entertainment.

"That's pretty cool," Brandon commented, watching the fairies laugh and have fun.

The others could only nod with Riven only giving a grunt as he looked away. But no one noticed as he glanced back at the Winx's table, his eyes softening for one instant at the sight of the fairy of music.

"Hey, Timmy," Sky's eyes widened slightly. "Say that you wanted to fix the generator for this place. How long do you think it would take you?"

"I'd be able to do it in under an hour, depending on the type of technology they have here," Timmy answered. "Why?"

"Come with me," the blonde-haired prince grabbed the orange-haired specialist and dragged from off from the table.

"What was that?" Brandon asked after Sky returned without Timmy.

"Timmy is fixing the generator problem, and with a brain like his, it won't take too long," Sky told them all. _'I hope.'_

**_Winx~Club_**

The girls settled back into their seats once they stopped their little music game.

"I have an urge to sing," Musa said looking at the stage, where a DJ's station, instruments and microphone were set up.

"Then why don't we?" Bloom suggested. She looked around at the rest of the people in the club and saw that many were getting impatient or annoyed. "I think everyone in here needs some entertainment or something to do."

"Yeah," Flora commented, as she, too, looked around. "It doesn't look like anyone's happy about this taking so long."

"Then let's go!" Stella exclaimed, linking her arm through Layla's, who linked her arm through Tecna's, who linked arms with Flora and continued until all the Winx were being dragged up to the stage by the blond fairy, their arms all linked together. The ball of light that Stella had conjured before hovered ahead of Stella, lighting their way.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Now what do they think they're doing?" Riven grunted.

"It looks like they're going to perform," Helia answered, looking on in interest.

"Are they even good?" Brandon asked curiously.

"I guess we're going to find out soon enough," Sky shrugged.

"Hey, what do you think's taking Timmy so long?" Brandon asked.

"Maybe there's more wrong than just the generator," Sky suggested.

**_Winx~Club_**

"First we need some light," Stella said as they all climbed up onto the stage. She looked at Bloom and winked. "Think you can take care of it?"

"Who do you think I am?" Bloom asked in mock anger. She smiled as she clapped her hands once and spread her arms out, releasing a burst of magic. The room was light with a semi-bright glow as amber flecks of light hovered in their as though frozen in time.

"And now for a little atmosphere," the blonde fairy muttered. She turned to Flora. "Would you do the honours?"

"It would be my pleasure, Sweetie," Flora giggled as she snapped her fingers on each hand twice before crossing her arms and snapping her fingers on both hands once more.

This time tiny rose-hued sparkles joined the particles of light, releasing a fragrant aroma in the room. When the little rose-hued sparkles dissipated, the scent remained.

"And finally outfits!" Stella snapped her fingers once and a spiral of sparkles surrounded each of the girls as their outfits changed from what they were wearing to something different.

* * *

Stella wore a light-lavender skirt with a pair of navy knee-length tights underneath, an orange short-sleeved top, a black vest, and a pair of black stiletto boots with gold accents.

She wore a gold bracelet on her left wrist and a black choker around her neck. Her hair was fashioned into two tiny messy buns with the rest falling to her knees.

**_Winx~Club_**

Musa wore a magenta form-fitting dress that went to mid-thigh with chains and a thin black belt slung around her waist over a pair of navy tights, a denim crop jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a pair of black stiletto boots that reached the tops of her calves.

A simple gold chain rested around her neck as her hair was fashioned into high ponytail, her hair fluffed a bit to look somewhat wild.

**_Winx~Club_**

Layla wore teal spaghetti-strap dress with a dark-blue bubble skirt that went down to mid-thigh with a black belt cinched around her waist. She wore a pair of black lace tights, and a short-sleeved crop jacket, and a pair of violet open-toe stiletto slouch boots that went to mid-calf.

She wore a couple bangles on her right wrist and two navy and violet necklaces around her neck. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail.

**_Winx~Club_**

Flora wore a violet miniskirt with two thin black belts crisscrossing over each other over a pair of lavender tights, a black short-sleeved top that stopped two inches above her waist, a pink one-shoulder-strapped top that stopped under her chest over the black top, and a pair of black stiletto boots that stopped two inches below her knees.

She wore a simple black choker around her neck and her half her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with the rest trailing to her knees.

**_Winx~Club_**

Bloom wore a cerulean short-sleeved mid-thigh-length dress with black butterflies and a sweetheart neckline with a black lacy camisole underneath, a pair of navy tights with a design done on her left thigh, a black underbust vest, and a pair of black and cerulean knee-high stilettos.

She wore silver bangle on her left wrist with a navy wrist-length fingerless glove on her right hand, a black beaded necklace around her neck, and violet-beaded armband around her right upper arm. Hakf of her fiery hair was pulled up into a high ponytail slightly off to the side with the rest falling to her knees.

**_Winx~Club_**

Tecna wore a pair of navy shorts over a pair of dusky blue tights that went down to mid-calf, violet top with short black cap-sleeves and a black butterfly on the front, and a pair of ankle-high navy stiletto boots.

She wore a gold necklace around her neck, a black armband around her left upper arm with a navy glove on her right hand. A small black barrette clipped some of her hair back from the front, sweeping it to the side.

* * *

Bloom took her place at the main microphone, Layla at the drums, Stella with an electric guitar, Flora on bass, and Tecna on the keytar. Musa also took an electric guitar, but she duplicated Blooms mike and stand and had them set down in front of her.

The girls looked at one another, speaking without words before Layla clicked her sticks together, counting off. When the last clack had sounded, the girls all began playing with Musa and Bloom singing.

**_Superheroes- Winx Club Soundtrack_**

(AN: _the_ = Bloom and Musa _the_ = everyone)

_Wake up!_

_She wakes up  
It's early in the morning  
She looks around  
Everyone else's still asleep  
An empty dream  
It's there where they're living  
Wake up now! Your life has just begun_

Remember when  
You used to be a dreamer  
And you could see  
The fairies and the angels  
Nothing has changed  
Magic's still inside you  
Believe in this  
And it will be all around

I will never leave you alone  
I am by your side

We are superheroes  
We can save the world together  
Take my hand  
Say you wanna believe again

Life is what we make it  
Just stop thinking and start dreaming  
Feel alive  
Bring the magic back in your life

The song ended with one last strum of Musa and Stella's guitars.

There was silence before deafening applause broke out within the room. Shouts of enjoyment came from all directions.

**_Winx~Club_**

The Specialists, bar Riven, were gaping at the six fairies on stage.

"Who knew?" Brandon said faintly.

"I guess it just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Helia chuckled as he closed his mouth and eventually doing the same for the others.

Riven only glanced at the stage, a glint of interest shining briefly.

**_Winx~Club_**

The girls grinned at each other. "At least we weren't kicked off the stage," Stella winked.

"Why don't we give the couples a little something this time?" Layla suggested, looking at the many couples applauding, but still cuddling.

The girls followed Layla's line of sight and nodded in agreement. "And I think I know just the one," Musa smiled through the slightly melancholy look on her eyes.

The girls saw the look on Musa's and knew immediately which song she was going to sing. Bloom walked over and took the guitar from the fairy of music, slung the band around herself and smiled gently at Musa before nodding.

"This next song goes out to the couples out there," Musa announced. "It was the first song my dad ever wrote for my mom, so I hope you all enjoy it."

**_Magic in My Heart- Winx Club 4Kids_**

_Oh-h-h-h-h_

_Lonely mountains  
And tragic spells  
Forbidden potions  
From haunted realms_

_Seas of stardust  
Light years apart  
Fields of dragons  
That'll rip your heart_

By this point, the different couples in the club had come onto the dance floor and slowly danced and swayed with the song.

_I faced them all  
And I survived  
To get right here  
As you arrived_

_And when I heard  
Your voice in song  
I knew that I finally belonged_

_Now I know we'll never part  
'Cause your magic lives inside my heart  
And we'll always be together__  
'Cause your magic lives inside my heart forever  
And ever…_

The music slowly faded to a stop as the couples on the dance floor slowly swayed to a stop as well. They all looked up at the stage and applauded the beautiful song.

Just as the girls were getting ready to play another song, the lights all turned back on and the music that had been playing before started up again.

Bloom and Flora clapped their hands and both the flecks of light and the aroma disappeared all together. As the girls jumped off of the stage to return to their table, Stella snapped her fingers and they were in the outfits they were in before.

"Well, it was great while it lasted," Musa chuckled, voice a little husky.

"Indeed because we really need to get going if I'm going to you-know-where tonight," Tecna said, showing the girls the time on her communicator.

"Let's get going then," Bloom nodded. And with that, the Winx made their way out of the club.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Better late than never," Riven grumbled, looking up as he saw the lights flicker back to life.

"What took you so long, Timmy?" Brandon asked the orange-haired specialist, as he sped to a stop at their table.

"There was more than just the generator that blew," Timmy explained. "Somehow, the entire power circuit was overloaded! But the thing is, that I couldn't find anything that could've blown the power like that, let alone overload an entire power core!"

"Well you missed one heck of a show," Brandon commented, as he looked back at the stage, only to see it empty. "Hey what happened to the girls?"

"They must have left," Helia commented, as he, too, looked around for any sign of the Winx.

"Who left?" Timmy asked. "What happened while I was gone?"

"The Alfea rejects are gone," Riven sneered.

"Riven," Sky warned before turning back to the orange-haired specialist. "Do you remember those six girls from Alfea that we met the other day? Well, it looks like they were getting bored, and saw how annoyed everyone else was getting and put on a great show!"

"They _were_ very good," Helia muttered, as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"What's up, Helia?" Sky asked.

"There's something different about those girls," Helia said. "I remember hearing around that those six were usually loners and not very good at using magic. I don't know if those rumors are true or not, but the way they used their magic today proves that there's something that someone missed. Those six…they feel different. I remember seeing a few of them around now and then when we would head over to the Alfea campus, and their magic felt very…soft, almost weak. Now, they feel strong, almost too strong; and it feels like their magic is connected somehow."

Although not many were aware of it, while Helia was not able to use magic like his Uncle Saladin; much like a sixth sense, he was able to feel how strong or weak a magical being was. It certainly was handy when the Specialists had missions that involved magic.

"That is weird," Brandon nodded in agreement. "But how could they change in such short time? It makes no sense."

"Maybe I'm just tired," Helia rubbed his eyes. "After that last mission we had, I think we all deserve a good long rest."

The guys all nodded in agreement as they sat back in their seats and waved down a waitress to order a couple drinks.

(AN: Now before anyone gets any ideas, I don't approve of alcohol, so whatever drinks are in this specific club will be either soda or fruit drinks.)

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	8. 7- Searching Omega and Retrieving Roxy

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Now really quickly, this picks up where the last chapter left off with the girls.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Searching Omega and Retrieving Roxy~Oo**

-Winx Dorm Room; That Night-

"Let's go: Believix!" Tecna shouted as loud as she dared. A data stream and green sparks covered Tecna's form before revealing the fairy of technology in her Believix form.

"Winx Z—" Tecna was cut off by Bloom.

"Wait, I'm going with you," Bloom told the magenta-haired fairy. "We're not all going at the same time, so it'll be fine. And besides, I don't want to take any chances of you getting hurt if Valtor really is down there and loose in Omega." She quickly shifted into her Believix form.

"Remember to keep your communicators on and open at all times," Musa reminded them.

"Stay safe and stick with each other," Flora advised.

"If you even catch one sign of him," Layla told them, "get out of there as fast as you can."

"Don't stick around for him to find you," Stella spoke.

"Please be careful, Bloom," Lockette squeaked as Digit nodded in agreement.

The fairy of technology and of the Dragon Fire nodded. "Winx: Zoomix!" they chorused and in a flash of light, they were gone.

_'Be careful,'_ Flora thought, clasping her hands together.

* * *

-Omega Dimension-

There was a flash of light that quickly died away, revealing Tecna and Bloom.

"Bloom? Tecna? Are you there?" Musa's voice spoke from the communicator.

"We're fine," Bloom answered as she followed Tecna, taking in as much as she could at once. "There's not much here to s—"

"Wait!" Tecna said suddenly. "Look!" She pointed down to shattered remains of what had once been ice columns.

"Okay, let me rephrase that," Bloom spoke. "It looks like that magical discharge that Tecna and Wizgiz mentioned, released some of the convicts from their ice prisons."

"But that doesn't mean that Valtor's loose, right?" Stella asked anxiously.

"We don't know yet," Tecna answered this time. "We're going to see if we can find where Valtor was kept."

With that, the two fairies flew past fields and fields of ice prisons and chasms.

"Wait!" Bloom stopped when she felt a pulse running through her body. "I think I know which way Valtor is." She closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, searching for the only other connected to her through the Dragon Fire. "That way!" Bloom flew off to the east, Tecna zooming on behind her.

They flew for felt like half an hour before they reached a placed that looked like an inverted version of the spiral rock that held the Omega portal at Andros.

Bloom flew down to the centre where the remains of an ice prison lay and found a small board.

**'Valtor'  
'Forzen for Eternity'**

"I think we have our answer," Bloom said shakily, handing the board to Tecna, who looked horrified when she finished reading them sign.

"Well?" Layla asked from the communicator.

"We'll tell you when we get back," Tecna said, slightly dazed, still in shock.

"Winx: Zoomix!" the two chorused and with another flash of light, the two fairies vanished from the Omega Dimension.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

"What happened? Flora asked. "What did you find out?"

Tecna and Bloom allowed their transformations to dissolve before slumping down onto a couch. "Valtor's been released," Bloom said quietly.

Silence descended upon the group.

"What are we going to do now?" Stella whispered. "It was bad enough when we first fought him, and now we're going to do it again!"

Layla put an arm around Stella with a solemn face as the blonde leaned on her shoulder. "We'll figure something out," she assured the sun fairy. "We always do."

Silence spread over the group once again.

But this time, it was Bloom who broke the quiet among them. "Believix," she said quietly.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Musa asked in disbelief.

"I'm going to see if I can find Roxy or Rick tonight," Bloom told her friends. "The quicker we find them and get them to safety, the less we need to worry about what those Fairy Hunters will do." She closed her eyes. "Winx: Zoomix." With a flash of light, the princess of Sparx was gone.

"We need to figure out what we're going to do about this," Flora spoke up. "We have the Trix coming soon, and Darkar could be planning an attack or planning to get the Trix to join him. There are the Wizards of the Black Circle we need to worry about and now we have Valtor loose somewhere in the magical dimension!"

* * *

-Bloom-

There was a flash of light above the Frutti Music Bar that faded away quickly to reveal Bloom.

"It looks like no one's here…" she muttered as she zoomed around the bar before heading off towards the small town she grew up in.

The fiery-haired fairy subconsciously placed a cloaking spell around herself to avoid detection, just in case the Wizards of the Black Circle were in the area. And because Roxy was still in Gardenia, she knew that had to be somewhere near Gardenia, if not in the town.

Bloom stopped and smacked her forehead. "Duh! I could just use that tracking spell!" Much like Musa had done the night before, she chanted a few words and moved her hands in a specific pattern twice. A pulse ran through her body before a red-orange light left her chest, leaving a trail that only she could see.

The keeper of the Dragon Flame zipped off along the trail until she came to a simple two-story house.

Quickly allowing her transformation to dissolve, Bloom rung the door bell and waited, glancing around anxiously.

The door opened to reveal a tired Roxy in her pajamas and ruffled hair. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so late," Bloom apologized. "But I need to speak with you and your father immediately. It's very important and it _can't_ wait."

Roxy was wide awake now and stared at Bloom for a moment.

Just then a small shuffling noise was heard from behind the plum-haired teen. She turned around to find her dog, Artu, standing behind her. "Artu, what are you doing up?"

But the dog didn't give a bark of acknowledgement as he walked over to bloom and nosed her hand gently before looking at Roxy as if to say "you can trust her".

"Come in," Roxy stepped aside to let the fairy in and led her to the sitting room. "I'll be right back with my dad."

Bloom was left alone in their sitting room with Artu's head in her lap.

A few seconds later, Roxy appeared in the sitting room with her father in tow. The two took a seat on the couch across from the fiery-haired fairy.

"What did you need to see us about?" Rick yawned as he tried to look serious.

"Sir, just how much did you know about Roxy's mother?" Bloom asked.

"What—" Rick sputtered.

"Please answer the question," Bloom pleaded. "I promise that everything will become clear after I explain a few things."

"I knee quite a bit about her," Rick said slowly, "but she never told me where she came from, who was in her family, or what her family was even like. No matter how much I asked, she wouldn't say a word."

"I guessed as much," Bloom sighed. She sat up straight and looked both father and daughter straight in the eye. "Mr. Vandeere, as strange as it will sound, your wife is a fairy and is very much alive."

Father and daughter gaped at Bloom for a few moments before the plum-haired girl got up and stood in front of Bloom. "Get out. I thought you actually had something important to say, but I didn't think you'd be cruel enough to bring up my mother. GET OUT!"

"Please Roxy—" Bloom tried to speak, but the teen would have none of it.

"OUT!" the teen shouted.

"All right," Bloom glared at the younger girl. "If you won't believe my words, then maybe you'll believe your eyes. Let's go: Believix!"

Right before their eyes, Rick and Roxy watched as the girl they thought to be an ordinary person slowly transformed into something they'd only read about in storybooks.

"B-But that—" Roxy stuttered.

"—shouldn't be possible?" Bloom finished. "I thought so, too, until I actually started learn how to use my magic and finally grew my wings."

"Why are you here?" Rick asked.

"Mr. Vandeere," Bloom turned to the older man. "You and your daughter are in great danger."

She turned to his daughter, who sat on the ground, dumbstruck with Artu next to her. "Roxy, you are a fairy, the last Earth Fairy and because of that, there are four powerful wizards after you. They call themselves the Wizards of the Black Circle; they're fairy hunters. They drain the life and magic from a fairy in order to make themselves stronger. They target Earth Fairies in particular, and because your are the last, you're a prime target. Mr. Vadeere, you're in danger as well, because you could be used as bait by the Wizards to lure Roxy out."

"What are going to do, then?" Roxy asked shakily.

"I brought each of you a charm that my friends and I made specifically to protect the both of you," Bloom explained, handing out the charm bracelet and the pendant respectively. "But these are only a back-up protection, they won't be enough to keep you out of danger at all times, so I'll need to take the both of you to a safe place as soon as possible."

There was silence for a moment.

"When are we leaving?" Rick asked quietly.

"I was hoping in just a bit, after you've packed whatever you need," the princess of Sparx told the older man. "It's not safe to stay here for so long when the Fairy Hunters are near."

Rick nodded. "Right, Roxy, get you things together and we'll meet back here in ten minutes, all right?" He turned to Bloom. "I might take a little more time since I need to find someone to watch my business while I'm away. Just how long are we going to be gone, anyway?"

"I don't even know," Bloom said after a moment. "As long as it takes us to defeat the Wizards, I suppose."

And with that, father and daughter ran up to their rooms to gather their essentials and get all matters settled with Artu right behind them.

"Okay," Bloom conjured a piece of paper and a pen, "now for the note…" the fairy's hand moved quickly across the paper as she scrawled a simple, but hopefully effective message. She waved her hand and duplicated the message, but changed a few words in it. _'I just hope Ms. F and Professor Saladin believe this…' _she conjured two small navy ribbons and tied them around the messages that were now rolled into scrolls.

The fiery-haired fairy looked up when she heard footsteps and saw Roxy coming with a large duffle on her shoulder.

"Hey," Roxy said awkwardly. "Um, I'm really sorry about what I said before…"

"It's okay," Bloom waved off the apology and all was silent again.

"Is it true?" the Earth Fairy asked. "What you said about my mom? That she's alive?"

Bloom nodded. "Your mother is the Queen of the Earth Fairies and lives in a place called Tír na nÓg and is alive, making you the technical princess of Earth." She chuckled at Roxy's wide-eyed expression, before her gaze turned gentle. "Your mother only left to protect you and your father, that's all."

"Okay, I've have a friend of mine watching over my bar, so I'm all set to go," Rick said coming into the sitting room with a large duffle, much like Roxy's, over his shoulder. "By the way, how _are_ we going to get to wherever this safe place is?"

"I'll be the one to take you," Bloom told them. "So grab a hold of me and hang on tight, I don't want to lose any of you during the destination switch."

And so Roxy linked her arm through Bloom's as her father did the same to her other arm, while Artu wrapped his body as tightly as he could around Bloom's legs.

"Winx: Zoomix!" There was a flash of light and the Vandeere and Bloom family were gone.

* * *

-Alfea; Entrance Gate-

A flash of light went as quickly as it came, leaving behind Bloom, Roxy, Rick and their faithful dog, Artu.

"What _is_ this place?" Roxy breathed in awe.

"This is Alfea," Bloom announced quietly. "School for Fairies of all realms. Usually you would need to have been on the registration list, but there have been known to be a few exceptions here and there. This is where fairies come to learn how to use their powers and control them."

"Why are we here?" Rick asked, once he stopped gaping at the large pink castle-like building. "You said that you'd bring us somewhere safe and you bring us to a school?"

"Please clam down and hear me out," Bloom pleaded. "This place is a school, however with the Headmistress Faragonda looking after the students here, this is the last place anyone would think to look for you, Roxy."

"Wait you just said, that it's the last place any one would look for my daughter," the older man turned to the fairy of the Dragon Flame. "You're going to separate us?"

"It's the only way to keep you two safe," Bloom tired to reason with Roxy's father. "Roxy will need to attend school here to gain control of her powers, so that if she's ever in danger, she'll know what to do to get out of or fight the danger. You won't be very far away, Mr. Vandeere, in fact you'll be practically next door to her."

Rick thought it over for a moment and finally nodded. He walked over to his daughter and grabbed her in a tight hug and placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling away. "Be careful and stay safe, all right. Make sure Artu goes with you wherever you go, all right?"

Roxy nodded and watched as her father kneeled down in front of her dog.

"Artu, I want you to take good care of Roxy while I'm not here, all right?" Rick ordered the canine.

Artu only gave a strict bark in response as he sat tall next to Roxy's legs.

"Good boy," Rick said, rubbing a hand on the dog's head.

Bloom now turned to Roxy and held out a scroll to her. "I'm going to set off the alarms in just a minute to alert the staff that you're here. Now, I need you to give this message to Headmistress Faragonda, she'll be the one to decide everything. But if anyone asks, just tell them a fairy brought you here, but didn't tell you her name, all right?" She added one more thing when she saw Roxy open her mouth. "Believe me, it's best if no one knows right now; they'll find out when my friends and I feel it's right."

Roxy closed her mouth and nodded, taking the scroll and holding it tight within her hand.

"All right, Mr. Vandeere, let's go." Bloom took his arm in hers again. "Winx: Zoomix!"

Roxy watched in awe as her father and the fairy disappeared right before her eyes.

* * *

-Red Fountain; Entrance Gate-

(AN: I think many might have figured this out, but I'll just say it now. Because the Trix never went after the Dragon Flame until now, they never attacked Alfea and Red Fountain or took control of Cloud Tower. So Red Fountain looks as it had in te first season.)

There was a flash of light, much like before, leaving behind Bloom and Rick.

"And where are we now?" Rick asked.

"This is Red Fountain," Bloom said quietly. "School of Heroes. This is where non-magical guys from different realms come to train in different forms of combat."

"And what am I doing here?" Rick asked, though he had an inkling as to what the answer might be.

"This is where you'll be staying," Bloom said, handing him a scroll much like Roxy's. "It doesn't have the magical protection Alfea offers, but I figured this place was as good as any since you'll blend right in. We only have a few male teachers at Alfea, so it would look a bit strange to have another suddenly come. At Red Fountain, the entire staff and student body is composed of guys, so it'll be easier for you to settle in."

She pointed to the silhouette of Alfea in the distance. "When I told you that you and Roxy would be practically next door, I wasn't lying. Alfea is just beyond the forest." Now she gestured to the scroll she'd handed Rick. "Give that to Professor Saladin when I set off the alarms, all right? It'll explain the situation and remember, don't tell him who brought you here, just say that an unnamed fairy brought you here to keep you safe."

She closed her eyes. "Winx: Zoomix!" And disappeared in a another flash of light.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

Bloom opened her eyes when she felt herself land in the dorm she and her friends shared.

"Well?" Tecna asked. "Are they safe?"

"I brought Roxy to Alfea and Rick to Red Fountain," Bloom explained. "I just need to set off the alarms now…" she walked over to a large window and opened it just enough to see the front gates of Alfea and the silhouette of Red Fountain. She waved her hands and two medium-sized flaming balls hovered in each palm.

Bloom quickly threw them up into the air and snapped her fingers, watching them fade away from sight. "That should do it…"

* * *

-Alfea; Entrance Gate-

Roxy gave a little sigh as she looked at the scroll in her hand to the castle-like building she stood in front of to Artu.

"Was this even a good idea?" Roxy whispered t herself. "I mean, I don't even know if I _have_ magic? So how did _she_ know?"

Just then a ball of fire faded in being in front of her. "What the—"

Before she knew what was happening, the ball rammed into the arch of the Entrance Gates and exploded on contact.

There was a sound akin to a siren that sounded once before a few spotlights focused in on her and Artu, who stood in front of her, growling.

"Who are you and what are you doing here at my school?" a kind, but hard voice asked.

Roxy turned to the source and found herself looking into the eyes of an elderly woman, who she assumed was the headmistress by the words she'd spoken. There were two other adults with her, one was short with curly hair and the other was a severe-looking woman.

"Um, my name's Roxy and I'm from Earth," the plum-haired teen said awkwardly, not noticing the brief flash of shock that ran over the headmistress's face. "I was told to give you this." And she handed over the scroll to the woman.

Faragonda opened the scroll and read through its contents.

_Headmistress Faragonda,_

_Who I am is not of any great importance at this time. However, it is imperative that you understand that this young girl is in danger. The Wizards of the Black Circle have been released from their prison. You may think it strange for me to have brought this girl here to you, however, she must be kept safe at all costs. As you may know, the Wizards of the Black Circle are fairy hunters that prey primarily on Earth Fairies. This girl before you is daughter of the Queen of the Earth Fairies and the last Earth Fairy in existence._

_Enroll her into Alfea, help her to control her powers. She must be protected and know how to protect herself. I understand that you have another fairy of Earth studying at Alfea, however, while that fairy was raised on Earth, she is not an Earth Fairy, she is much more._

At the bottom of the note where a signature would usually be, was a small image of a red dragon.

The headmistress looked at the plum-haired teen in front of her. _'If what this notes says is true, then it is not only this girl that is in danger,'_ she thought with narrowed eyes. _'But then who is Bloom if not a fairy of Earth?'_

Faragonda smiled gently at the teen and led her inside the school, Artu right behind her. "Come, we'll get you settled in and you'll be introduced to the others students in the morning."

"Thank you," Roxy said in relief.

* * *

-Red Fountain; Entrance Gate-

Rick Vandeere was pacing around for what felt like twenty minutes (but had actually been five), when he spotted a small speck heading towards him. He stopped pacing and watched as the speck grew larger and larger until he saw that it was a medium-sized fireball that hovered in front of his face.

The ball wiggled a bit as though in excitement and slammed itself into the ground before the gates, exploding on contact.

It seemed that the loud sound was heard by many as Rick heard several footsteps heading his way. In a few moments, the man from Earth was surrounded by the armed guards of Red Fountain.

"State your business," one guard said gruffly.

"I-I was t-told to give th-this t-to a Professor Saladin!" Rick chocked out, holding out the scroll Bloom gave him.

The guard that had spoken looked at him for a few moments before speaking. "Come with me."

The Guard led Rick down a series of halls until they came to a large door. The guard knocked twice until they both heard a loud, but slightly muffled, "Come in".

The Guard opened the door and gestured for Rick to follow him inside.

"Headmaster, this man set off the alarms, but claims that he had something that needs to be given to you," the guard reported. He turned to Rick and gave a nod.

Rick stepped forward nervously. "A fairy came to my home tonight and brought me here after saying that I was in danger." He held out the note to Saladin. "She told me to give this to you and said that it would explain everything."

Saladin took the scroll and read through its contents.

_Headmaster Saladin,_

_Who I am is of no importance; what matters is that this man before you is in danger. The Wizards of the Black Circle have been released from their prison and are now in the process of hunting down the last Earth Fairy. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with the man before you, correct? The man before you fathered the last Earth Fairy and therefore a likely target to lure her out._

_Take him in and give him your protection, teach him all you can. He will need it._

Like the note to Faragonda, the note was signed with a tiny drawing of a dragon.

Saladin looked at Rick for a moment. _'If what this person says is true, this man needs all the help he can get. Especially since he's a normal human…'_

"Mr…" Saladin trailed off.

"Vandeere," Rick finished. "Rick Vandeere."

"Well, Mr. Vandeere," the headmaster spoke, "the first thing I must ask you is if your daughter is safe?"

"She's at that fairy school," Rick answered.

"Good, good," Saladin nodded. He turned to the Guard still standing there. "Show Mr. Vandeere to an available room we have; any will do." He then turned to Rick once more. "Starting tomorrow, we'll get you started with training."

"Training?" Rick blinked. "For what?"

"You come from Earth, so you probably don't know much other than simple hand-to-hand combat, correct?" Saladin asked.

Rick nodded sheepishly.

"Here at Red Fountain we teach our students how to battle and confront many different situations, both magical and non-magical," the headmaster explained. "Because your daughter is in likely danger and you have no experience with anything remotely magical to do with combat, we'll need to teach you all we can to help you be prepared."

(AN: Sorry if that bit that Saladin said didn't make much sense, it sounded much better in my head…)

Rick nodded in understanding. "All right." And with that he followed the Guard out of the headmaster's office.

Saladin rubbed his eyes with a sigh. "Of all the things to happen…I just hope things don't get any worse."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	9. 8- One Step Ahead

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This isn't a huge chapter, so don't expect too much.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~One Step Ahead~Oo**

-Winx Dorm Room-

"So what do we do now?" Layla asked quietly. "If we're going to do what we need to, then we can't stay at Alfea."

"What do you mean?" Stella whispered.

"No Layla's right," Musa broke in solemnly. "Think about it, the Trix are after the Dragon Fire and they're coming here to get it. So if we leave, then Alfea won't be attacked."

"But Darkar wants the pieces of the Codex," Flora reminded them all. "He's going to find some way into Alfea to get it anyway."

"And Valtor…" Bloom spoke. "I don't know where in the Magical Universe he's in, but I wouldn't put it past him to want to get revenge or even come after me."

"The Wizards might come here, though," Tecna told them. "Despite Roxy being taken away from Earth, they'll do anything to find her."

"But she's safe here at Alfea, right?" Stella asked. "Ms. F is here and so are all the other teachers. They can put up that magical barrier that Ms. F put up when Valtor was loose in our world."

"But how long would it hold?" Musa asked. "The barrier went down because of Valtor, remember? How do we know he won't do it again?"

"Then we just need to make a stronger one," Tecna said as she punched a few buttons on her mini-computer.

"What?" the rest of the girls chorused.

"The charms we made for Rick and Roxy," Musa reminded them, catching onto Tecna's thought. "We anchored our protection spells and charms to the stones we used, remember? What if we do the same thing with a barrier for Alfea? We can anchor a barrier spell to the stones so that the only way to break the barrier is to destroy the stones."

"But we'd need really big stones for this kind of barrier not to mention the number," Flora reminded them. "The campus is huge and it'll take more than just a dozen stones to cover a place this big."

"We can take care of that!" Chatta chirped as the pixies floated in front of their bonded fairy. "Pixie Village is right near a huge cave with lots and lots of stones like that!"

"Wait," Layla stopped the pixies as they were about to fly out the window. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go on your own like this…Darkar's going to be looking for the pieces of the Codex and he'll definitely take the chance to follow you there. I'll go with you." She shifted into her Believix form and activated her Zoomix wings before she and the Pixies disappeared in a flash of light.

"Okay, so we have the barrier plan going," Bloom spoke, "But what about the Codex? We can't let Darkar get his hands on any of the pieces."

"Well, we know the locations for all of the pieces, right?" Stella confirmed. "So why don't _we_ get them before Darkar even has a chance to locate them? We'd be one step ahead of him!"

"That sounds like a plan," Tecna nodded. "But remember, we also need to retrieve the Water Stars from the Golden Kingdom."

"Stella and I can take care of that," Musa nodded.

"Now all that's left is to figure out where we'll be going when we leave," Tecna muttered.

* * *

-Pixie Village-

A flash of light startled the pixies of Pixie Village before it died down to reveal a Believix Fairy and six pixies.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the Pixie Village Elder, Ninfea, asked.

"We just came to get some stones from the cave that's near here," Lockette squeaked in reply.

"Layla," came Bloom's voice from her communicator.

"What? Did something happen?" the fairy of waves asked.

"We need you to get _it_ while you're at Pixie Village," Bloom sighed. "I don't want to do this, but it's the only way to stay ahead of you-know-who."

Layla's eyes widened in understanding. "I'll do my best." And with that, she shut off her communicator.

"Girls why don't you go and find some good stones," Layla suggested to the pixies that were with her. "I need to ask Ninfea something something."

The pixies all cast a worried look in Layla's direction, but did as she said. Once the pixies were gone, Ninfea raised an eyebrow in Layla's direction.

"I'm going to show you something because I don't know if you'll believe me when I tell you, all right?" Layla suggested nervously.

Ninfea looked at Layla for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

Layla, still in her Believix form, close her eyes and placed a finger on the forehead of the leader of Pixie Village.

Images and thoughts flooded Ninfea's mind, and before she knew it, they over as quickly as they started.

"You want our piece of the Codex." It wasn't a question.

Layla nodded. "It's only until Darkar is gone for good, and then we'll bring it back."

Ninfea gave Layla a long look before finally nodding. "Very well, but you must take care not to let it fall into the wrong hands. I will send along a message to the rest of the Pixie Elders to give up their pieces of the Codex to an Alfea fairy that comes for it."

"Would it be helpful if I gave you their names?" Layla asked. "I don't know who's going after which one."

Ninfea nodded and took down the names of the rest of the Winx girls. "If you would close your eyes, I will retrieve our portion of the Codex."

Layla nodded and did as she was told. She opened her eyes when she felt something being placed into her hands. There in her hands sat Pixie Village's portion of the Codex.

"Thank you," Layla bowed her head.

Ninfea nodded and gave a gentle smile in return.

It was then that the Pixies returned, carrying a sack full of what had to be stones. "Layla look at all the stones we found!" Amore squealed. "Do you these are good enough?"

The princess of Andros opened the sack and peeked inside before closing it securely and hoisting it over her shoulder. "They'll do perfectly," she smiled at the pixies. "Now come on, we have to get back to Alfea."

"Thank you," Layla said to Ninfea once more before she and the pixies disappeared from the village.

"You're Welcome," Ninfea said softly, looking at the sky. "And good luck."

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

The girls all sat in silence, waiting for their last member to get back when a flash of light appeared as quickly as it disappeared.

"Did you get everything?" Stella asked when the flash of light died away.

"I have the stones and I got this," Layla put the bag of stones on the floor and opened it to pull out the piece of the Codex that Ninfea had given her. "Ninfea said that she's passing a message along to the rest of the Pixie Elders that we'll be coming to get the rest of the pieces."

"Well that makes things a lot easier," Flora commented.

"Indeed," Tecna nodded before going over to open the bag of stones. "But I think we need to get started on this barrier as soon as possible. We can't afford to waste any more time by staying here than necessary."

"Guys," Bloom spoke up after a bit. "I—There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it, Sweetie?" Flora asked gently.

"I want to go to Sparx," Bloom told them all. "I know it's a frozen wasteland right now, but it's the last place anyone would look for us, and I need to see Daphne."

The girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "We understand why you want to go there, B," Musa put a hand on her shoulder. "And you're right; no one would ever think to look for us in a realm that's been rumored to be dead."

"We'll go there," Layla said, "But I don't know how long we can stay there without someone tracking our trail."

"Thanks you guys," Bloom smiled softly. "Now let's get to work on those stones."

The girl worked through the night by carving into the stones, casting spells and refining them so that they wouldn't be destroyed so easily.

By the time they were done, it was already time for classes the next morning.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	10. 9- On the Other Side

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This is a bit short...

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~On the Other Side~Oo**

-Palace of Sparx-

While the Winx girls were doing their best to save the dimension they were placed in, everyone and everything in their dimension was thrown into complete mayhem and panic.

"What do you mean they're gone!?" Sky shouted at the Selkies. "They couldn't have just vanished into thin air or something!"

"Calm down, Sky," the King of Eraklyon put a hand on his son's shoulder. "We're all just as worried about the girls as you are, but that's no excuse to take it out on the little ones."

Sky just shrugged off his father's hand and stormed out of the room, ignoring his father's and Diaspro's calls for him to come back.

Queen Miriam knelt down next to the pool the Selkies were huddled in. "Can you tell us exactly what happened?"

"Bloom and the others destroyed the seal on the Tower of Control and restored the balance before anything bad happened," Serena spoke timidly. "But then Tritannus showed up with the Trix and started attacking the girls!"

"The next thing we know, Layla and the other are telling us to go away and get out of there," Lemmy continued.

"We swam away, but then we saw the girls get covered in black bubbles or something!" Desiryee squeaked.

"Black bubbles?" King Oritel asked. "Are you sure?"

"Do you know something about this?" King Radius asked gruffly.

"I've heard of something like this," Oritel replied. "But I just don't remember what it is."

With that, the arguing continued until King Oritel spoke up over everyone and told them that the council would be adjourned until further notice.

* * *

-Red Fountain-

"The girls are WHAT!" Brandon shouted. "What do you mean they 'just disappeared'?! No one can just vanish into thin air, magical being or not!"

"That's how my reaction was," Sky told his friends, "but the Selkies said that black bubbles covered the girls and when they were gone, so were the girls."

"Isn't anyone trying to find them?" Timmy asked.

"The kings and queens are all talking about it, but they're not actually _doing_ anything about this," Sky put his head in his hands."

"Why don't we go and talk to Headmistress Faragonda about this?" Helia suggested calmly. "She might know what happened to the girls and how to find them."

Riven only grunted, though when no one was looking, his posture softened. _'Please be careful, Musa. Wherever you are.'_

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress's Office-

"Is that exactly what the Selkies told you?" Faragonda asked gravely.

Confused and worried, the boys glanced at each other before nodding in confirmation.

"The spell that was cast on the girls is one I haven't heard of being used in centuries," the headmistress walked over to look out a window. "If done correctly, it will completely eliminate the target."

"No…" Brandon whispered for all of the Specialists. "They can't be—"

"And they're not," Faragonda cut in. "Those three witches may have had the intention of casting the spell I spoke of, but there is another spell very close to it. Close enough that if cast, the target will not be eliminated, but simply relocated."

"So the girls are just somewhere else?" Riven asked. "Then why haven't they come back?"

"Perhaps it's not that they don't want to," the headmistress told the magenta-haired specialist, "but that they _can't_."

"Do you know how to find them?" Sky asked urgently.

The headmistress nodded. "There is a way, but I cannot do the spell alone. I will contact the rest of the staff. Go down to the West Wing lecture hall, we will join you all shortly."

The boys gave a nod of acceptance and made their way to the empty lecture hall in the West Wing. They took seats near the front and looked at each other worriedly as they thought about what the headmistress had said.

"What could happen to the girls to stop them from coming home?" Riven asked quietly in a rare show of concern.

No one had an answer to that.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the five heard footsteps coming their way that they looked up. They watched as the staff of Alfea including Faragonda stood in a circle in the middle of the floor, hands linked.

The group closed their eyes as they chanted a spell. The group started to glow a light golden colour before that golden hue pulled off of the staff and enveloped the group in a dome.

The glow of the dome was so bright that the specialists had to cover their eyes to avoid becoming blinded by the dome's brilliance.

When the dome died away, the boys saw grim looks on the faces of each of the staff.

"Well?" Sky asked. "What happened? Did you find them?"

"Oh we found 'em all right?" Wizgiz said grimly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brandon growled.

Faragonda sighed before looking into the boys faces one by one. "It seems that our girls have been sent to a different dimension."

The Specialists said nothing because they all collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

"That wen't well, don't you think?" Wizgiz grinned.

Paladium just knocked the short professor upside the head.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	11. 10- Gone

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This will be a bit short because I'm trying to arrange the chapters in a certain way, so don't be mad!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Gone~Oo**

-Alfea-

"Done," Tecna wiped a little sweat off of her forehead. She looked at the many little mounds of dirt that circled around the school with a satisfied grin.

Once classes were done for the day, Tecna, Flora, and Bloom had gone out to bury the spelled stones they'd created, while Stella, Layla and Musa went out to retrieve that last three pieces of the Codex.

"Your turn, Flora!" Bloom gave a thumbs-up to the nature fairy.

The emerald-eyed girl nodded and closed her eyes as she glowed a minty-green. The mounds of dirt that stuck out like sore thumbs against the lush green grass evened out and grass grew over them to match the shade of those around them.

"Done," Flora let out a breath of relief.

"Let's go back before Griselda catches us here," Bloom said, walking back to the school.

Tecna and Flora nodded as they followed the redhead.

"We're activating it tonight, then?" Flora asked Tecna.

The magenta-haired fairy nodded. "If all things go according to plan, we should be able to activate the barrier tonight before leaving. The less time we spend here, the safer Alfea will be."

"Without Ms. Faragonda noticing?" Bloom asked.

"That will be the tricky part," Tecna admitted, "but if we're discreet and careful, no one should detect the barrier once it's gone up and while it's being activated. Once the barrier is up, all beings of dark magic with less than noble intentions won't be able to enter the school."

Bloom and Flora nodded before they continued on to their dorm.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room-

"So did you get them?" Bloom asked her remaining three friends when she, Flora, and Tecna came back to their dorm.

"Right here, Dawling," Stella winked as she, Layla, and Musa each held up a piece of the Codex.

"Great," Tecna smiled. "Then as soon as lights go out, we can put up the barrier before leaving."

The girls, bar Bloom nodded and made sounds of agreement.

"Bloom?" Flora asked, noticing the pensive expression of the redhead's face. "Is something wrong, Sweetie?"

"I just thought of something," Bloom told them all. "If we just leave, Ms. F and our families here would go crazy looking for us."

"That _would_ prose quite the predicament," Tecna rubbed her chin in thought.

"So what do we do?" Layla asked.

"Can we just leave a note behind?" Bloom suggested. "It doesn't have to explain everything about what we're doing or where we're going, but we could at least tell them that we're safe and that we'll come back soon."

The rest of the girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding in agreement.

With that, Bloom walked over to a table and gathered a piece of parchment and a pen and quickly scrawled out a letter. When she was done, she cast a small spell to seal the message and leave it floating in the middle of the room, to make it easier to find.

"Ready girls?" Bloom asked, looking at her friends, their Pixie flittering by their sides.

The five girls nodded.

"Let's go: Sirenix!" the Winx girls said in unison.

And within a matter of seconds, the girls stood there in their Sirenix forms.

"Okay, here we go," Stella said as they linked hand.

"Sirenix Convergence!" The girls chorused.

The six fairies started to glow in multiple colours, and unnoticed by them, so did the places where they'd buried the spelled stones.

Soon, one stone sent a charge over to the next and then so on until they were all connected. The wave crackled as a clear, but multicoloured barrier rose up around the school before disappearing from sight.

"Did it…work?" Layla panted.

"It did," Tecna nodded, and sent a small impulse of magic to briefly allow the barrier to be seen.

"I didn't know it take that much magic to bring up the barrier," Musa slumped down into a chair.

"Judging by our current power level, we don't have enough energy to pull off a Zoomix to Sparx," Tecna sighed.

"So how do we get to Sparx now?" Layla asked.

The girls all thought for a moment before Flora's eyes widened in realization.

"We can the same way we did last time!" Flora suggested.

Realization dawned on Tecna's face as she caught onto Flora's thoughts. "The Magical Reality Chamber! I can adjust the Chamber to briefly allow it to become an inter-dimensional portal."

(AN: Sorry, I didn't realize that I had the name of the virtual chamber wrong this entire time. I was re-watching the episodes when I heard the name and decided to change it.)

"Then let's do it!" Stella exclaimed as quietly as she could.

And with that, the Winx girls and their pixies crept out their room silently, taking care not to make any noise.

* * *

-Virtual Reality Chamber-

"Just a few more seconds…" Tecna muttered, punching button after button and typing code after code into the keyboard. "Done!" She turned to her friends. "I've set the timer to go off in five minutes. Just enough time to for us go through the portal without alerting any of the staff."

The six fairies and their pixies hurried into the chamber and within minutes, they were gone.

* * *

-Winx Dorm Room; The Next Morning-

"Girls! Girls, open up!" Griselda shouted as she pounded on the door to the Winx's dorm room. "Very well, then. I have no choice but to use force!" That said, she cast a mild blasting spell, strong enough to just throw the doors open; no more, no less.

"What the—?" Alfea's head of discipline gasped when she noticed that all the beds were empty and while the room was still filled with the girls' belongings, the girls themselves were no longer there.

She walked around, trying to find something that could tell her where they went, when she spotted a scroll floating above a small coffee table.

Griselda took the parchment and unsealed it before reading thorough the contents, her face growing worried with every line she read.

Quickly, the head of discipline ran as fast as she could to the Headmistress's office to alert her to the fact that six of their students were gone.

* * *

-Headmistress's Office-

"Ms. Faragonda!" Griselda all but shouted as she ran into the older woman's office.

"Calm down Griselda," Faragonda said calmly. "Now what has you in such a tizzy?"

"Read this." The head of discipline gave the note she found in the Winx's Dorm to the headmistress.

Faragonda's brow furrowed as she read through the message.

_To whoever finds this:_

_We hope you understand that as much as we didn't want to leave Alfea, we had to. Please tell our families that we're all right and not to worry. We can't say where we'll be going, but we can tell you that we'll be safe._

_We're sorry,_

_Bloom  
Stella  
Flora  
Musa  
Layla  
Tecna_

"What could have possessed them to do such a thing?" Griselda asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Griselda," Faragonda sighed as she took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	12. 11- Recruiting

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This picks up from where the last one ended.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Recruiting~Oo**

-Alfea; Headmistress's Office-

"Ms. Faragonda!" Paladium burst into the office. "Someone's been using the Magical Reality Chamber!"

"What?" Faragonda and Griselda's heads snapped to the Potionology professor in alarm.

"I don't know who's been using it," the elf-like teacher explained. "But I found a record in the system saying that it was used sometime last night, but there was nothing in the record about what it was being used for."

A thought struck Griselda and she turned to the headmistress. "Do you think—"

"I don't know," Faragonda repeated from before. "But I wouldn't it past them." She turned to Paladium. "Is it possible for the Magical Reality Chamber to be used for anything other than simulations?"

Paladium thought for a moment. "Well, if it is configured correctly, it can be used as a temporary inter-dimensional portal…"

"If something like that were done," Faragonda said urgently, "would it be possible to trace the location to where the portal would send someone?"

"Yes," the elf-like professor said, taken aback. "Why?"

The headmistress handed over the note for the Potionology professor to read over.

"You think these girls—?" He cut himself off.

Faragonda nodded. "I don't want to believe they did. But this could be the only way they left the school without alerting any of us."

"I'll search through the database right now," Paladium nodded to the headmistress before running out of the office to do as he said, Griselda right behind him.

"They said they _needed_ to leave," Faragonda muttered. "Not that they _wanted_ to. So what could be so important that these six girls needed to leave Alfea instead of telling us and asking for help?"

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Trix Dorm-

"It's gone!" Icy shouted in outrage. "The Dragon Fire isn't at Alfea anymore!"

"Someone must have known about the Dragon Fire and took it for themselves," Darsi commented.

"But who?" Stormy asked. "It's not like there are that many people who know about it."

"She's right," Darsi added. "Anyone who knows about the Dragon Fire thinks it's just a myth."

Just then there was a screeching noise from outside of their window.

The Trix looked upside and saw what looked like a cross between a spider and a bat hanging just outside their window.

"What is _that_ supposed to be?" Icy asked, creeping closer to the creature.

The creature unfurled itself and itself and the three witches watched as it gave a louder screech than before, this one echoing around them.

"Well, well, well," came a low voice. "You three seem quite…_angry_, now don't you?"

"Who's there!" Icy demanded. "Show yourself!"

A small black and red blur formed in the middle of their room, growing and growing in size until it formed a shadowy phoenix. The phoenix gave aloud screech before materializing into a human-like skeletal figure.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Darsi asked, in a battle stance with her hands pulsing with dark energy.

Icy and Stormy fell into battle stances as well, though Icy's hands were glowing blue while Stormy's crackled with lavender electricity.

"I am Lord Darkar of the Underrealm," the skeletal figure introduced himself. "And I simply would like to ask your assistance in obtaining something."

"Oh? And what would that be?" Icy raised an eyebrow sckeptically.

"The key to the ultimate power," Darkar's eyes glowed red. "The Codex."

"And what would we get out of it?" Stormy asked.

"A share of the Ultimate Power, of course," Darkar said as though it were obvious. "Unless you still want the Dragon Fire…"

Icy, Darsi, and Stormy looked at each other before an evil grin spread across their lips. "We're in," Icy told the skeletal figure.

"Good choice, witches," Darkar laughed as he shot out three small balls of energy at the witches.

They grimaced in pain for a moment before relaxing, allowing the foreign magic to add to their own. Darsi found a violet gem on the back of her left hand with a white-violet strip winding up her left arm to her elbow; Stormy had exactly what Darsi had only with a maroon gem with it being on her right hand and arm; and Icy wore a white-blue necklace connected to a dark-teal gem that rested in the middle of her collarbone.

"What are these?" Stormy asked.

"They are called Gloomix," Darkar explained. "They will amplify your original powers and add to what you already had."

"Very nice," Darsi smirked.

"So what are we going to do?" Icy asked.

"Lay low for a while," Darkar told them. "I'll find the locations of the pieces of the Codex first, and then you'll have your orders."

With that, the skeletal figure disappeared in a mist of red smoke.

"We're really not going to be taking orders from that guy, are we?" Stormy asked.

"Who do you think we are?" Icy retorted. "We'll follow him for now. But he's not the one who's going to have the Ultimate Power!" She and the other two witches laughed darkly at the thought.

* * *

-Valtor-

The residents of the once peaceful realm ran screaming in terror as Valtor wreaked havoc upon the realm by taking its magical treasures and its magic.

"Ah the sweet sound of fear," the wizard chuckled darkly. "This is only the beginning…" he stopped laughing and frowned for a moment before he reappeared in Andros. "But I can't stay here forever. No, I must have a permanent lair. Someplace powerful magically, but also well guarded…"

* * *

-Alfea; Magical Reality Chamber-

"I've done it!" Paladium shouted in excitement. "I know where the portal was set for!"

"You know where they are?" Faragonda asked when she came into the room with Griselda, who'd gone to fetch her when Paladium announced his results.

"The destination set for the portal was Sparx," Paladium said proudly, not noticing the worried and frightened faces of the two women he was speaking to.

"Professor, are you sure they went to _Sparx_?" Griselda asked slowly.

"Why y—wait, SPARX?!" Paladium exclaimed. "But that's a dead planet! Why would anyone go _there_ of all places?" He began pressing buttons and pressing keys to double check his findings. He looked at the results with confusion and worry before turning back to the headmistress. "I'm sorry, but it seems that whoever used the portal, set the destination for Sparx."

"Is there any way to tell who went through that portal?" Faragonda asked urgently.

Paladium shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. The Chamber does not record what happens within and it certainly cannot identify anyone."

"Then we don't know where the girls have gone…" Griselda's face fell.

"Not necessarily," Faragonda said, looking in through the window of the Magical Reality Chamber. "We don't know yet if it was the girls who used the Chamber, but it wouldn't hurt to check first."

"What are planning?" the elf-like professor asked.

"I need to contact Professor Saladin," was all the headmistress said as she exited the room.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	13. 12- Searching

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Again, this will be short, but just bear with me. As I said before, I'm arranging things in a certain way, so I don't there will be any long chapters for a bit.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Searching~Oo**

"You want me to what?" Saladin asked in disbelief. "Have you gone mad, Faragonda? Sparx is a dead realm, there are nothing more than ice creatures out there!"

"Be as it may, this is the only lead we've found about our girls," Faragonda sighed. "You know I wouldn't ask for something like this unless it was urgent."

The headmaster of Red Fountain sighed. "Very well, then. I'll send the best squad I can find to search the planet for any sign of your girls."

"Thank you, Saladin," Faragonda gave a small smile to the headmaster before her image faded out from the holo-orb.

Saladin pulled up a list of the student squads at Red Fountain and scrolled through carefully. "Now the question is: Which squad do I send?"

* * *

-Earth; Gardenia-

The Wizards of the Black Circle were circling Gardenia, tracking the scent of Erth Magic, when they suddenly stopped.

"It's gone," Dunman commented.

"I can't sense the fairy that was here," Gantlos added.

"Someone else knew about her," Ogron muttered. "The last Earth Fairy…"

"But who would know? As far as the entire magical dimension knows, there are no more magical beings left on Earth," Anagan pointed out.

"There's someone messing around with us and it's _really_ starting tick me off," Ogron seethed. "Let's go."

And with that, the four wizards disappeared from Gardenia.

* * *

-Red Fountain Owl-

(AN: And Owl is just one of the types of vehicles Red Fountain has. You can read more about it on the Winx Club Wiki, which is where I got the info from when I couldn't remember the name of the ship.)

"So remind me," Brandon spoke as he steered the ship around a minor mountain, "what is our mission again?"

"We're supposed to check out Sparx to see if there's anyone there," Timmy reported, looking up from the navigation system.

"Not just anyone," Riven grumbled. "A couple of fairies decided to run away from school and we're supposed to bring them back. Yeah right, some mission."

"But I don't understand," Helia spoke up, "why would someone run away to a dead planet?"

"I don't know," Sky replied, "but something tells me that there's more to this than just fairies running away."

"Who ran away anyway?" Timmy asked. "Anyone we know?"

"I don't know," Sky shook his head. "Saladin just said that we need to check Sparx for six fairies. He never mentioned who they were."

"Well that's all good, but I would hold onto something!" Brandon called. "We're going through the warp portal!"

Quickly, each of the Specialists buckled themselves into their seats and grabbed a hold of the seat itself right before their ship slipped roughly into the portal.

* * *

-Cloud Tower-

"Well, that's quite a surprise," Valtor remarked as he flew slowly around the Cloud Tower castle. "This would make a _very_ nice…home." He chuckled darkly. "And it would be a good chance for me to pay a visit to an old friend."

That said, he silently phased out of sight.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	14. 13- Found

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Don't know if this could be considered long or short, but in any case, I'm giving a lsight warning right now. Somewhere towards the end of the chapter, there will be a bit of a bounce-back-and-forth between locations, so don't be annoyed!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Found~Oo**

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"Well," Bloom put a hand on her cheek as she observed the repairs she and her friends had done within the palace. "I guess that'll have to do for now. At least until we somehow get Sparx back to how it should be."

"We're just lucky we have magic to help us," Stella said as she brushed off her hands. She'd changed their outfits into winter suits when they'd dissolved their Lovix transformations.

After the Winx girls had arrived at the Palace, Stella took the liberty of transporting them into the palace so the girls could rest and regain their strength before starting on their plans.

When they'd woken up that morning, the sextet, with the pixies' help, managed to repair some of the bedrooms in the castle for their use. Tecna and Digit, with Stella and Bloom's help had created a sort of heater to keep them from totally freezing in the harsh conditions of Sparx.

"Okay, so we're all set up for now," Layla said as they walked into what was the throne room. "What do we do now?"

"Well, we definitely need to get the Water Stars, since we already have the pieces of the Codex," Bloom rubbed her chin in thought before her eyes widened in horror. "I can't believe we forgot!"

"Forgot what?" Musa asked.

"The Omega Portal in Andros!" Bloom reminded them. "If we don't close it…well, you know what'll happen!"

"I'll go and take care of it," Tecna told them.

"What?" Musa said in shock. "No! I'm not letting you do that again!"

"But this time we're all stronger than we were then," Tecna pointed out. "Once I'm in Omega, I can come back here using my Believix. And even if I can't, I still know how to survive in the Oemga Dimension long enough to gather enough strength to make it back here."

Though the girls admitted that Tecna had a point, they were still a little reluctant to send her. However, after a long moment of convincing, the girls finally agreed to let Tecna go.

"Then Stella and I can go to the Golden Kingdom to get the Water Stars," Musa told them, to which everyone nodded.

"Hey, I just remembered something," Lyala said with a pensieve look. "Do you remember when Valtor broke into the Magix Museum and stole that box? What if he's going to do it again?"

"If I remember correctly," Tecna said as she checked her database, "it was called the Agador Box; a magical relic and artifact capable of containing an immense amount of magic."

"Should we get it before Valtor does or do we just leave it alone?" Flora asked.

"I don't know," Bloom said. "If we let Valtor get it, he can store all of the magic he's taken from the different realms and continue taking them nonstop, but if we do, we could get pegged as criminals…"

"I don—What was that?" Stella asked when she heard a soft, almost ghostly sound.

"What was what?" Bloom asked. "I don't hear any—" This time, Bloom and the other girls heard the same sound Stella did, only louder.

_"Who goes there?"_ A ghostly voice asked.

"We could ask you the same!" Tecna retorted bravely.

_"Leave this place! Outsiders are not welcome!"_ the voice shouted as wind whipped around the girls.

_'Wait a second,'_ Bloom thought, _'I know that voice!'_ "Daphne stop!"

The wind died away as quickly as it came and the ghostly figure of Daphne appeared before the Winx. "Who are you?" the nymph asked.

"Don't you recognize me?" Bloom asked. "It's me, Bloom! Your little sister!"

_"You lie! My little sister is dead! The coven took her life before I was able to get her to safety!"_ Daphne shouted in rage as she threw glowing daggers at the girls.

"No Daphne, I'm here!" Bloom pleaded, trying to help her sister see sense. "I'm right here; alive and well! I never died, I grew up on Earth!"

_"Prove it,"_ Daphne sneered. _"Prove that you are my little sister!"_

"How? I was only a baby when the coven attacked!" Bloom asked. "I don't know how, but I was taken to Earth and I was raised by my human parents! I didn't find out about my birth parents until I went to Alfea!"

Daphne stopped her onslaught and took a good look at Bloom. _"It _is_ you,"_ she breathed, floating down closer to the fiery-haired fairy. _"Not many remember that Miriam and Oritel had a young daughter, who was only a few months old, when the coven attacked. But how did you find out?"_

"I kept seeing visions about my past, but I didn't understand what they were about," Bloom told Daphne. "Until I went to Alfea, everything I saw, I thought I was just dreaming." Her face fell. "But there's something else that you need to know."

Daphne nodded at Bloom to go on.

The princess of Sparx looked at her friends and they gave her a nod and soft smiles.

"I'm not _your_ Bloom," Bloom told the nymph.

Daphne tilted her head slightly in confusion. _"What do you mean, Bloom?"_

"I mean that my friends and I are from another dimension," Bloom told her sister of this dimension. "We were transported to his dimension by accident. I'm still Bloom, but the Bloom of this world doesn't know anything about being the princess of Sparx or anything like that."

Daphne was silent for a moment before she gave a gentle smile to the fiery-haired fairy. _"I believe you, Bloom. And though you may not be my little sister from here, you are still my little sister. I hope you understand that."_

Bloom smiled tearfully and nodded.

_"Now why have you all come here?"_ Daphne asked.

"We needed somewhere to go after leaving Alfea," Bloom explained. "Things are happening because we came here and we need to put a stop to them before it's too late. So is it okay to use this place as a hideout or something for a while?"

Daphne nodded and disappeared from their sight. _"Good Luck…"_

"That went better than I thought it would," Stella commented.

"We're should be lucky that she even believed us," Layla reminded them. "Our story may be true, but it sounds outrageous."

"Definitely," Musa agreed.

"Hey, I'm picking something up on my radar," Tecna said suddenly, her eyes closed.

(AN: Remember, they're all Guardian Fairies, so they have the abilities they gained in the first Winx Club movie as well as much more since they're grown in strength since then.)

"What is it?" Stella asked.

"It looks like we have company," Tecna glared at no one in particular.

* * *

-Sparx; Red Fountain Owl-

"Snow and ice," Riven muttered. "And them more snow and ice. There's nothing here except snow and ice!"

"We heard you the first time, Riven," Helia chuckled at his friend's brooding.

"Timmy, activate the Thermal Sensor Radar," Sky ordered as he scrolled through the information the ship's sensors were gathering about the planet.

"Thermal Radar: Active," Timmy answered, punching in a code.

"I still don't get why anyone would run away to a dead planet," Brandon commented. "I mean, I can barely see anything past all this snow and from what Riven so kindly pointed out, there's nothing but snow and ice here."

"Well there are creatures that live in this kind of habitat, but I think that's besi—HEY! I found something!" Timmy shouted.

"What is it?" Sky as he, Riven, and Helia made their way to Timmy, who was looking at the radar projection in astonishment.

"The radar's picking up a massive low-heat source with six sources of heat inside!" Timmy exclaimed.

"So what does that mean?" Riven asked. "The six are probably the girls, but what about the big one?"

"I don't know what the big one is," the orange-haired specialist answered. "But I _do_ know that we have to get the girls back to Alfea…if it _is_ them…"

And so Timmy gave Brandon the coordinates to where the sources of heat were coming from and soon the ship was sailing away towards their destination.

* * *

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"You've got to be joking!" Stella groaned. "After all the trouble we went to, they still found us?! How?"

"I don't know, Stell," Bloom answered, "but I know one thing: If they get here, then they're just going to take us back to Alfea."

"And we _can't_ let that happen," Layla growled. "So what's the plan?"

"Tecna, can you get into their systems and knock out their engines, weapons, and communication links?" Bloom asked.

"Consider it done," Tecna grinned at Bloom before closing her eyes and concentrating on the ship.

* * *

-Sparx; Red Fountain Owl-

"What's that?" Brandon asked as they came close to a large figure, whose image was blurred by the blizzard.

"I think it's a castle?" Sky squinted at the object.

"H-Hey! What's going on?!" Brandon shouted when he noticed the engines were no longer working.

"The engines have stopped completely and our weapons are offline!" Timmy shouted in alarm.

"Can't we call for help or something?" Riven grunted.

"Communication links are offline!" Timmy shouted in reply.

"Hold on!" Brandon shouted as the ship started to plummet to the ground at a dangerously high speed.

Each of the Specialists quickly strapped themselves tightly into their seats, all the while grabbing onto the bottoms of their seats for extra stability.

* * *

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"Great," Bloom nodded before turning to Layla. "Layla can you use your morphix to create a cushion under the ship to slow the fall? We may not want them here, but that doesn't mean we have to hurt them."

"Okay!" Layla nodded.

Then Bloom turned to Stella. "I need you to break up the blizzard, just temporarily so we can where the ship's going."

"You got it!" The sun fairy gave a nod.

* * *

-Sparx; Red Fountain Owl-

"Hey, I think the storm's clearing up!" Sky exclaimed.

The other Specialists opened their eyes and looked out the windows and sure enough it looked like the blizzards was dying down.

"Whoa," Timmy said in awe as he looked at the palace. "It _is_ a castle. But how could it have survived for so long? And in these conditions?"

"Who knows?" Sky shrugged.

"And I think we've slowed down," Brandon commented.

"But how?" Helia asked.

* * *

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"Flora, when the ship lands, use your vines to trap the ship," Bloom ordered. "Musa, can you knock the guys out with a little lullaby or something?"

"Definitely," Musa winked as Flora nodded in response to the orders she was given.

"I can create binding spell to keep the guys from doing anything once they wake up," Bloom told them. "So all we need to do is get the out of the ship."

"I feel so terrible doing this," Tecna said sadly.

"But we have to," Stella reminded the magenta-haired fairy. "I don't want to either, but you see me doing it anyway! Look at it this way; what's more important: The fate of the magical dimension _or _how bad we feel for trying to keep the guys of this dimension out of our business?"

Tecna sighed. "I understand, Stella. But it doesn't make me feel any better about harming them like this."

"I agree," Flora nodded.

"But you know that it's for their own good that we're technically going to be holding them prisoner, right?" Layla asked rhetorically.

"They'll be confused about which side we're on," Bloom said. "But it's for the best. If they took us with them, then we'd be going back to Alfea and we'd probably be watched 24/7 and we might be separated to stop us from doing something like this again."

"Yo, Flo!" Musa called. "I think it's time for you to get those vines out!"

* * *

-Sparx; Red Fountain Owl-

"We're about to land!" Timmy informed the rest of his squad.

"So now what—What was THAT?" Sky asked as he felt the ship being rocked slightly.

"We have our answer right here," Helia pointed to the vines creeping over the ship, locking it to the ground.

"How can vines grow on a dead planet that can't sustain life?" Brandon asked.

"These probably aren't normal vines," Riven muttered.

"Hey," Sky said, shushing the rest of the group. "Do you hear that?"

The Specialists all listened carefully and heard a soothing melody filtering in from outside.

"That's…pretty…" Sky yawned.

"Night…night…" Brandon managed to get out before they all were knocked out, fast asleep.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Well, that was easy enough," Stella commented as Bloom waved her hands and chanted a few words.

A red-orange band of energy was clasped around each of the boys' wrists and ankles.

Once they'd levitated the Specialists out of the ship, the girls had brought them into one of the larger guest rooms that they'd fixed up and conjured five beds for each of them.

"Weapons and other forms of technology are locked inside their ship," Tecna informed.

"And Layla and I put up a barrier around the ship to protect it," Musa added.

"I hope they don't get too mad at us," Flora sighed.

"We can't help how a person thinks or feels, Flora," Stella told the nature fairy.

"There's not really much that we can do anyway," Musa added. "How they react is up to them."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	15. 14- Partial Explanations

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: I didn't really pay attention to the word count for this chapter, so I don't know if this'll be long or short…maybe somewhere in the middle? Oh well, I think this chapter turned out all right, though most of the stuff I wrote sounded a lot better in my head than in actual words…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Partial Explanations~Oo**

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"What happened?" Helia murmured as he and the rest of the Specialists awoke. "And where are we?" He looked around at the beautiful room that was alright in appearance, but had probably seen better days.

"I think we might still be on Sparx," Timmy observed as he looked out the window to find a think blanket of snow with a blizzard raging on.

"Who brought us here?" Sky asked before finally taking notice of the bands around his wrists and ankles. He looked at the rest of his squad and saw the same on them. "And what the heck are these?"

No one had an answer as they looked at their own bands in confusion and curiosity.

"Why don't we go and check this place this?" Brand suggested. "There might be someone here to explain what happened to us."

The Specialists all agreed and left the room and began to search the palace together.

Brandon stopped when he heard muttering and listened closely, hushing the others.

"…sure…communicators…"

"…stay…eye…them…"

"Should we go in there?" Helia asked.

"There's a high probability that whoever's in there might be the person or people that brought us here," Timmy pointed out.

"But have your weapons ready," Sky told them all. "Just in case."

"Ri—wait," Riven stopped as he was reaching for his phantoblade when he felt nothing. "I don't have my sword!"

"What?" Helia asked in alarm. It was then that he noticed that his laser gloves were gone as well. "My gloves are gone!"

Soon all the boys found that all of their weapons and communications devices were gone.

"Okay, so this isn't the best situation," Sky said, ignoring Riven's "You think?". "But remember, we also know how to fight with our bodies and we also learned how to take things around us and use them as weapons, too."

"So, one three?" Brandon asked.

"Three," Sky nodded.

"One," Helia said.

"Two," Timmy counted.

"THREE!" Riven shouted as the five Specialists barged into the throne room to find Bloom standing in front of a hovering magical sphere, her communicator in hand.

The fiery-haired fairy whipped around when she heard someone come into the throne room and relaxed when she saw it was only the boys before adopting a neutral expression.

"You're awake, then?" Bloom asked rhetorically.

"Bloom?" Sky asked in surprise. "What are you doing here? Do you know how worried Ms. Faragonda is about you and your friends?"

"Don't you think we know that?" Bloom retorted. "Do think we _wanted_ to leave Alfea? We _had_ to."

"Why—" Timmy began, only to be cut off when Bloom's communicator went off.

"What's up?" The princess of Sparx asked.

"We've got a problem," Layla said slowly.

"Please don't tell me it's what I think it is," Bloom groaned, much to the boys' confusion.

"The box is gone," Flora confirmed. "_He's_ already been here."

"Great, this is _just_ great," Bloom muttered under her breath. "Okay, just get back here as soon as you can; don't let anyone see you."

"Got it," Layla said before hanging up.

Within a few seconds, there were two flashes of light that went as quickly as they came. When they died away, there stood Flora and Layla in their Believix forms.

"They woke up?" Layla asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

Bloom only nodded as their transformations dissolved.

Just then, Stella and Musa flashed into the throne room. "What's the haps, Chaps?" the fairy of music asked, a box in her hands.

"Well here they are," Stella gestured dramatically at the little box in Musa's hands, "the legendary Water Stars!"

_'Water Stars?'_ Timmy's eyebrows lifted at the thought. _'What would they need those for?'_

"Have you heard from Tecna yet?" Musa asked as she and Stella returned back to their civilian forms.

Bloom shook her head. "Not yet…"

"Oh look at what the cat dragged in," Stella commented as she looked at the Speciaists.

"Can someone explain just what's going on here?" Riven asked gruffly.

Musa just gave him a flat look before turning to the girls. "What do you guys think? Should we tell them?"

"Huddle!" Stella shouted as she grouped the rest of the Winx together.

"So what do we do?" Layla asked. "They won't stop asking until we give them a straight answer."

"I guess we can tell them a little bit about what's going on," Musa conceded, "but we have to be careful not to reveal anymore then we need to. Not yet, at least."

The Specialists watched as the girls conversed in whispers before they broke apart and turned to face them.

"We can't tell you everything because you won't understand," Stella told them.

"But we _can_ tell you that if we didn't leave, Alfea and everyone in it would've been in danger," Layla stated.

"Things are going to happen because of certain people," Bloom spoke, "and as weird and self-centered as it might sound, we're the only ones that can stop them."

"You don't have to believe us," Flora said, "but the fate of the Magical Dimension depends on us."

The Specialists stared at the girls for a moment and just as Sky opened his mouth to speak, there was a beeping coming from Bloom's communicator.

Quickly, the girls all swarmed around the small device. "Tecna?" Bloom asked.

"I'm all right," Tecna assured her friends. "I've just managed to close the Omega portal."

"Can you get back?" Musa asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid that closing the portal took more out of me than I thought it would," the fairy of technology sighed. "I can't come back tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"No," Bloom said. "Just wait wherever you are and stay out of sight. I'll come and get you."

There was a pause. "Okay," Tecna agreed before shutting the line.

"Okay, let's go: Believix!" Bloom shouted. And within seconds, the princess of Sparx stood there in her Believix form, much to the Specialists' astonishment. "Winx: Zoomix!" And with a flash of light, the fiery-haired fairy was gone.

"How did she did do that?" Sky whispered to his friends. "How did any of them do that?"

"Yeah," Brandon agreed. "I thought they were the weakest fairies at Alfea!"

"It looks like you can't really judge a book by its cover," Timmy remarked.

"Or there's more going on than we thought," Helia added.

Riven's eyes just narrowed suspiciously at the girls.

"Hey, when did the Trix get their Gloomix?" Musa asked as she looked into the hovering sphere.

"What!" Stella exclaimed. "Why would they have their Gloomix?! Darkar's the one who gave it to 'em and he's—Oh…" the sun fairy trailed off when she realized what this meant.

"He's already got them," Layla's hands clenched into fists.

"But they're still at Cloud Tower," Flora pointed out. "Why?"

Just then there was a flash of light. When it died away, there stood Bloom with Tecna leaning on her.

"Hey guys," Bloom began before taking in their expressions. "What's wrong?"

"Darkar's already got the Trix with him!" Stella burst out.

Tecna and Bloom's eyes widened in shock.

"Uh, hello?" Riven called sarcastically. "We'd really like it if SOMEONE TOLD US WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE!"

"Pipe down," Musa said, uncovering her ears.

"How much do they know?" Tecna asked them.

"Nothing except that apparently you're the only ones that can save the magical dimension," Riven sneered.

"So they don't know anything," Tecna confirmed. She looked at her friends. "It's okay to tell them a little, but you just can't tell them about _that_."

"What?" Stella asked before being nudged by Layla. "Oh, _that_; right. Got it. No talking about that."

"So?" Brandon asked. "Is someone going to explain why you ran away from Alfea and are keeping us here?"

And so the girls explained about Valtor, Darkar, the Trix, and the Wizards of the Black Circle and how much of a danger they were.

"But why would those witches attack Alfea for a myth?" Timmy asked. "It makes no sense."

"They would attack Alfea for a myth," Bloom said solemnly, "because it's not a myth and never has been."

"Then the Dragon Fire really is at Alfea?" Sky asked in alarm.

"Not anymore," Stella answered this time.

"What are you—" Brandon began only to stop when realization dawned on his face. "Who?" Was all he asked.

"Me," Bloom replied. "I'm the keeper of the Dragon Fire, the last survivor of Sparx, and the youngest daughter of King Oritel and Queen Miriam."

The Specialists' jaws just dropped.

"What about the Codex?" Timmy asked once he regained his wits.

"We'll let's just say that we're one step ahead," Tecna winked at Timmy.

"You didn't…" Timmy trailed off.

"We did," Musa grinned. "We took the pieces of the real Codex."

"'The real Codex'?" Helia parroted.

"Concordia told me that she and other Pixie elders were going to create fakes of the pieces of the Codex so no one would get suspicious," Stella reported.

"And Valtor?" Brandon asked. "What are you doing about him?"

"So far, we can't really do much against him," Tecna answered. "But we've retrieved a few things that can help us fight him."

"The Water Stars?" Helia asked.

Flora nodded. "The Water Stars."

"So what are you doing about the Wizards of the Black Circle?" Sky asked.

"Well," Layla began, "the Earth Fairy and her father are safe. The Earth Fairy is at Alfea while her father is at Red Fountain."

"But won't the Wizards find her at Alfea?" Brandon asked.

"They might be able to trace her to an extent," Tecna confirmed. "But before we left, we placed a strong barrier around Alfea. There is a very low chance of anyone getting through it."

"We also gave the fairy and her father charms laced with protection spells," Flora added.

"Those could still be destroyed or damaged, can't they?" Helia asked.

"They shouldn't," Bloom answered.

"And why not?" Riven asked this time.

Bloom looked at her friends. _"Should we tell them?"_ her eyes asked.

The girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding.

"Why don't we show you instead?" Flora suggested.

"Let's go: Sirenix!" the Winx chorused.

The Specialists, including Riven, watched in awe as the girls transformed into Sirenix fairies right before their eyes.

"But how?" Riven managed to get out. "Everyone knows you're the weakest fairies at Alfea!"

The girls gasped in indignation. "Well excuse you," Stella harrumphed.

"There's more to us than even you know," was all Musa said.

There was silence.

"Were you the ones who brought our ships down and took our weapons?" Timmy asked, breaking the silence.

The Winx nodded.

"We didn't want to," Flora said. "But we had to."

"We knew that Ms. F must have sent someone after us," Bloom explained. "We just didn't expect you five."

"In any case, we couldn't let you take us back to Alfea," Tecna told them. "And now you know why."

"We took your weapons and put them inside your ship," Musa spoke to the boys. "We didn't want to take the chance for you to use anything against us."

"And these are?" Riven asked, holding up his wrist.

"Oh those just prevent you from leaving without my permission or without me," Bloom answered. "It was risk we had to take."

"And how long are you going to keep us here?" Helia asked.

"As long as the magical dimension is in danger," Musa answered.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	16. 15- Surprises

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Okay, I'm going to say this right now, I might not be able to update as regularly as I had been. The reason for that being the fact that my family and I are fasting and the infernal heat in my area isn't helping my plight, so I've been feeling a little weak, which is why I wasn't able to get this chapter up yesterday like I'd planned. I'll do my best to update as much and as regularly as possible, but I won't make promises I can't keep.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Surprises~Oo**

-Cloud Tower; Headmistress' Office-

Headmistress Griffin sat at her desk, looking through and signing a few papers on her desk, when a little tone was heard from one of the many dark trinkets on her desk.

Her eyes narrowed at the trinket. Someone had breached the wards around Cloud Tower and now the intruder was inside the school.

The headmistress of Cloud Tower chanted a few words as her hands glowed a bright green. In no time, several small circles opened around her, showing her every inch of the school.

She gazed into each little portal, hoping to find the intruder, but stopped when she heard a chuckle from behind her.

It was a laugh she hadn't heard in years.

It was the laugh of someone that should never have been here.

The violet-haired headmistress turned around and her eyes widened in shock as she looked upon the form of the one person she'd hoped to never see again.

Valtor.

"How dare you enter my school!" Griffin all but shouted. "I demand you leave at once, lest you wish to face the consequences!"

"But my dear Griffin," Valtor mock simpered, "I thought you would've been happy to see an old friend."

"Friend?" Griffin chuckled as she hurled an energy sphere at the wizard, only for it to be absorbed into his body. "Don't make me laugh. We were never friends once I realized what you and the Ancestresses were trying to do. Whatever we had, died when you attacked Sparx!"

"And I thought you enjoyed what we were doing," Valtor mocked. "But then you had to grow a heart and went straight to Faragonda and Saladin." He shot a ball of dark energy at her.

"You've grown soft, Griffin," Valtor growled. "And now I think it's time I made a few…changes around here."

The last thing Griffin saw was Valtor's laughing face before she succumbed to the darkness creeping over her vision.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Cloud Tower; Lecture Hall-

"All students and staff are to report to the lecture hall immediately for an important announcement," Griffin's voice was heard throughout the school.

Doing as she said, all the staff and students headed over into the lecture hall, wondering why the headmistress had called an assembly so suddenly.

"As I stated, I have an important announcement to make," Griffin spoke as she stepped onto her platform overlooking the students. "I have decided to step down from my term as headmistress."

There were gasps and sounds of protest from both students and staff alike. They were all silenced by the hands Griffin raised.

"I know this is sudden, but I have felt that it is my time to step down," Griffin continued before stepping aside. "And so, I now introduce you all to your new headmaster, Professor Rótlàv."

(AN: The way I'm think to pronounce it is like [Wrote-l-ah-v]_

Everyone watched as a young man came up to stand beside Griffin.

**_Winx~Club_**

The man looked to be in his mid-twenties and stood at a few inches taller than Griffin. He had pale skin with high cheekbones, a pair of light-ginger-coloured eyes, and dark-green hair that went slightly over his shoulders and was tied back in a half-ponytail. His eyelids were painted a violet-navy coloured.

He wore a pair of black pants, a navy long-sleeved dress shirt with a white ascot tie and frilled bell-sleeves, a knee-length sleeveless blazer with the buttons going down from a little below his collarbone to just above his waist, a pair of black fingerless gloves rested on his hands, and his feet were covered by black two-inch-heeled boots.

**_Winx~Club_**

The witches and staff applauded politely for the new headmaster and silenced when he held a hand up.

"It is a pleasure to be here at Cloud Tower," Rótlàv said with a silky baritone voice. "I vow to do my best to follow in your _esteemed_ Professor Griffin's footsteps to lead this school."

There was applause once more, but no one noticed the dark smirk that crossed the new headmaster's face.

Neither did anyone notice the blank and glazed eyes of Professor Griffin.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Cloud Tower; Trix's Dorm-

"That was a surprise," Icy commented. "Didn't think old bat would've ever retired."

"I know what you mean," Drasi agreed. She smirked slyly. "But you have to admit, that Professor Rótlàv is pretty hot…"

Stormy only snickered in agreement.

"How are my witches doing today?" Came the low and breathy voice of Lord Darkar.

The witches looked up as they watched the Phoenix morph into the skeletal figure they'd grown used.

"We could be better if we were allowed to wreak a little havoc," Stormy answered as the three witches watched Darkar.

"Well then you'll be dreadfully happy with the news I've brought," the skeletal figure grinned maliciously.

"We're listening," Icy smirked.

"The four piece of the Codex," Darkar told them, "aren't together as I'd have thought. Instead they were separated and hidden at four different locations."

"And those would be?" Darsi asked.

"The first is conveniently here at Cloud Tower," the shadow phoenix rattled off, "the second at Alfea, and the third is at Red Fountain."

"What about the last one?" Stormy asked.

"The last _I_ will be retrieving myself," Darkar told them.

"So which do we go after first?" Darsi asked.

"Whichever you like," Darkar chuckled darkly. "I don't really care how you get the pieces of the Codex, so long as I have them in my grasp."

And with that said, the skeletal figure of Lord Darkar morphed into a phoenix once more before disappearing in a cloud of red smoke.

"So where do we hit first?" Stormy asked, hands crackling with electricity in excitement.

"Let's go after Alfea first," Darsi suggested. "That pixie school _is_ scheduled for an overdue makeover."

"I have a better idea," Icy smirked evilly at the other two witches.

Stormy and Darsi's faces soon matched Icy's as they caught onto her line of thinking.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Cloud Tower; Headmaster's Office-

Rótlàv sat at what had once been Griffin's desk, reading through a thick tome of dark magic. He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes after a moment. _'__What was that? An intruder in the castle?'_

He looked out of the window and watched as three witches, he couldn't tell who, flew out of the castle in the direction of Red Fountain. _'I'll have to keep an eye on those three…'_

* * *

-Red Fountain; Headmaster's Office-

"What do you mean you've lost them?" Faragonda asked in shock as she looked at Saladin. "Professor, please tell me that you still know where the boys are."

Saladin shook his head solemnly. "We lost track of their signal just a little while ago," he said grimly. "Unfortunately, I don't understand how their signal could have been lost. The ship was upgraded specifically to withstand the harsh conditions of Sparx, but something must have happened to cause us to lose their signal like that. It's no coincidence."

The two school heads were silent.

Suddenly, Codatorta burst into the office. "Headmaster! Someone's broken into the Baritox Chamber!"

(AN: Not sure if I spelled that word right… I ended up hearing 'Baritox', but I'm not sure if that was correct…)

"What!" Saladin's eyes widened as he stood up from his seat, Faragonda copying his moves. "Deploy as many guards as you can spare to protect the chamber! No one must get the Codex!"

Codatorta nodded and ran out of the office, to put the orders into effect.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you," a voice drawled.

"Who's there?" the headmistress of Alfea demanded. "Show yourself!"

"Surprise," Darsi gave mocking smile at the two school heads as she phased into the room.

Faragonda's eyes narrowed for a moment before her eyes widened in outrage. "You're one of the witches that attend Cloud Tower, aren't you?"

Darsi only laughed as she sent out a pulse of dark energy at the two school heads, her power only amplified by the Gloomix on her hand.

There was a crash before the whole building began to shake violently.

"Looks like Stormy's about to have some fun," Darsi commented as she continued to attack Faragonda and Saladin.

Within a matter of moments, Darsi had blasted the two school heads out of Saladin's window, leaving them to fall a couple hundred or so feet to what should have been their doom. With her quick thinking, Faragonda cast a quick spell that slowed down her and Saladin's descent to the ground.

Several of the Red Fountain students came running over to their headmaster, asking for directions as to what they should do next.

"We did our best, Professor," Codatorta said grimly. "But those witches have taken our part o' the Codex."

"How is the school? And the students?" Saladin asked.

"Those witches did a good amount o' damage to the school," the head of discipline reported. "Students and staff have been evacuated and are awatin' your orders."

"Evacuated?" Faragonda asked. "Why?"

Codatorta said nothing as he just looked up towards the school building.

Following his gaze, the two school heads looked on his horror as red Fountain was slowly being covered in an icy tomb.

"We need to go, Professors," Codatorta said quietly as he guided both into one of the waiting Red Fountain ships.

"You and your boys are welcome to set up camp at Alfea," Faragonda told Saladin as they watched Red Fountain crumble to the ground with heavy hearts.

Saladin nodded gratefully at the headmistress before giving orders to his students to meet up at Alfea.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Look at those losers running away," Icy laughed.

"Hey, I think they're going to Alfea," Stormy commented. "Should we go after them?"

"Let's wait a while shall we?" Icy suggested.

"It'll be fun to see them all scared like a bunch of panicking pixies," Darsi chuckled as they all phased back into their dorm.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	17. 16- Research

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Ha! I got another one out today! Yes! Anyway, this one will be a bit short, so don't expect too much.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Research~Oo**

-Winx Dimension; Alfea-

"How are we supposed to get the girls back when we don't even know what we're looking for?" Riven burst out.

After he and the other Specialists had recovered from their embarrassing display of fainting, they'd demanded to know what Faragonda had found out. And when they did, not a single one of them were happy about the news they heard.

But nevertheless, the Specialists asked to help out in finding a way to bring their girlfriends back.

And that is how Riven, Sky, and Timmy came to be in the Alfea library surrounded by piles and piles of books, looking for a spell or something similar that could bring the girls back, while Helia and Brandon were at the Cloud Tower library doing the same.

"Calm down, Riven," Sky said sternly. "We won't get anything done if we keep getting mad about this. What's happened happened, now all we need to do is find a way to undo it all and get the girls home."

"But Riven's right about one thing, Sky," Timmy pointed out. "We don't know exactly what we're looking for, so this could take days, if not weeks or months!"

"Timmy," Riven growled, "If you don't want to be dunked into the nearest lake, I'd shut up right now."

"I'm just stating a fact!" Timmy protested.

"Don't, Timmy," Sky pleaded. "We're all worried about the girls, but spouting out stuff like that doesn't help us get anywhere with this situation."

"You're not the only ones worried you know," Timmy said quietly. "I'm worried about the girls, too. And I guess this is just my way of trying to keep calm about this. Everyone has a different way of dealing with things, and this is just mine."

"That still doesn't mean that people like to hear stuff like that," Riven grumbled.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Library-

Much like the trio of Specialists at the Alfea library, Brandon and Helia sat amongst a large pile of books with a smaller one off to the side for books that looked helpful.

"Find anything useful?" Brandon asked, as he put one book down and picked up another. "'Cause I can't find anything here about transportation spells."

"Me neither," Helia sighed, placing his book down. "Maybe we're just not looking for the right spell?"

"I thought we were supposed to be looking for some spell that sends someone or something somewhere else?" Brandon asked.

"We are," Helia confirmed. "But there's something else I can't help but think we're missing…"

* * *

-Flashback-

_"The spell that was cast on the girls is one I haven't heard of being used in centuries," the headmistress walked over to look out a window. "If done correctly, it will completely eliminate the target."_

_"No…" Brandon whispered for all of the Specialists. "They can't be—"_

_"And they're not," Faragonda cut in. "Those three witches may have had the intention of casting the spell I spoke of, but there is another spell very close to it. Close enough that if cast, the target will not be eliminated, but simply relocated."_

-End Flashback-

* * *

"That's it!" Helia shouted, only to be shushed by the librarian who threw him a dirty look. The dark-blue-haired Specialist only gave an apologetic smile in return.

"You got what?" Brandon scratched his head in confusion.

"I think I know why we haven't been able to find the spell that sent the girls back," Helia told Brandon. "Don't you remember? Ms. Faragonda said that the spell that was used on the girls was one that was close to another that should have destroyed them. But instead, the girls were only sent somewhere else."

"So we should be looking for spells that destroy something completely?" the brunette Specialist asked.

Helia nodded.

And with that, the two dove back into the books with renewed vigor.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"They're trying so hard to find the girls," Faragonda gave a sad smile as she looked on at the boys through the mirror in her office.

"I just hope we find them before something happens to them," the headmistress sighed.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	18. 17- Deeds of the No Good

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Ha! I actually got this chapter out!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Deeds of the No Good~Oo**

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"I can't believe Red Fountain has fallen," Saladin whispered.

"What I would like to know is why Griffin isn't controlling her students," Faragonda's eyes narrowed at the silhouette of Cloud Tower.

She walked over to her desk and pressed the button to activate the holo-globe and said, "Cloud Tower."

The two school heads waited a moment before a hologram of someone appeared, though it wasn't who they asked for.

"Yes?" The man asked. "How may I help you?"

"Where is Headmistress Griffin?" Faragonda asked, surprised.

"I'm afraid that Professor Griffin retired recently," the man replied. "I am the new headmaster, Professor Rótlàv. Is there anything I can help you with?" A strange glint appeared in his eyes, but vanished too quickly for the headmistress to decipher it.

"I don't know if you've noticed that Red Fountain is no longer standing?" Faragonda asked.

"What?" Rótlàv's eyes widened. "How?"

"Three of _your_ witches decided to destroy the school and steal a very important artifact!" the headmistress of Alfea snapped.

"I'm afraid that I don't even know what you are talking about, Headmistress," Rótlàv spoke, rubbing his eyes. "Rest assured that I will do my best to find the culprits and deal with them accordingly."

"See that you do," Faragonda nodded coldly. "Oh, and Headmaster?"

"Yes?" Rótlàv replied.

"I expect no less than expulsion for those three witches," Faragonda narrowed her eyes at the man. And with that, she pressed the button to the holo-globe and cut the connection.

"Saladin?" Faragonda asked. "Did you know anything about Griffin retiring?"

"Not at all," Saladin said, surprised. "When did she decide to do something like that?"

"That is what I would like to know," Faragonda muttered, as she looked out at the Cloud Tower castle.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Trix's Dorm-

"That was too easy," Icy gloated as she held Red Fountain's piece of the Codex in her hand.

"So where do we strike next?" Darsi asked. "Alfea? Or should we get the piece from here?"

"I think I want to save that pathetic pixie school for last," Icy replied after a moment. "It'll be satisfying to draw out their suffering."

"So how do we get this thing to LD?" Stormy asked, looking at the piece of the Codex.

"We'll figure that one out later," Icy told her two accomplices. "For now, let's go that next piece."

**_Winx~Club_**

-Half an Hour Later-

(AN: I'll not go into detail in this part, mainly because I just don't know how to describe it, as I had a different plan, so just use your imaginations.)

It had been simple enough for the Trix to gather Cloud Tower's portion of the Codex. With the Gloomix Darkar gave them, boosting their powers, it had been a cinch to get through the protections around the piece of the Codex.

"Well done, witches," Darkar chuckled darkly as he appeared in the witches' dorm room. "We have three of the four pieces of the Codex!"

"There's only that loser pixie school left," Icy reported. "But maybe we could raw it out a bit…?"

Darkar grinned maliciously. "I like the way you think!"

And with that, the shadow phoenix disappeared back to ShadowHaunt with the piece of the Codex the witches had collected.

"I'm so going to love ripping the wings off of those pixies' backs!" Icy laughed with her comrades, never noticing the pair of light-ginger eyes staring at them before vanishing.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Dungeons-

"Well that was certainly…_interesting_," Rótlàv muttered to himself as he walked down into the dungeons of the school. "I didn't he survived, let alone come here to recruit a few of my witches to retrieve what he wanted."

_'Maybe I should pay him a little…visit?'_ he thought as he stopped at a large iron door with runes carved on and around it.

The dark-green-haired man waved his hand once before opening the door and stepping inside to see the sleeping and chained figure of Professor Griffin.

"And how are we doing today?" Rótlàv asked mockingly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear him.

"I don't suppose you'd know why I'm feeling happy, would you?" Rótlàv asked rhetorically as his features melted away to the familiar features of Valtor.

"My _old friends_ Saladin and Faragonda seem to be at Alfea," he grinned maliciously. "Not only that, but it looks like the Shadow Phoenix still lives. And I'll be paying him a visit _very soon_."

And with that, the wizard replaced his glamour once more and walked out of the cell as Rótlàv, sealed the door once more and walked back to his office.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Headmaster's Office-

The Trix stepped into the large room, trying not to look worried as they looked straight at the headmaster.

"Do you know why you've been called here today?" Rótlàv asked quietly.

"It seems that not only have three witches been seen to have destroyed Red Fountain," Rótlàv said, "but a dark presence much different from what one would normally sense here has been appearing at Cloud Tower. Specifically: your dorm room."

The Trix said nothing as they continued to look at the headmaster.

"However, I won't punish you like Saladin and Faragonda wanted," the dark-green-haired man told them.

The Trix looked at each other in surprise before turning back to the headmaster.

"What are you going to do, then?" Darsi asked.

Rótlàv looked at them for a moment before answering. "I would like to meet whomever you three seem to be working for."

Icy, Darsi, and Stormy glanced at each other for a bit.

"I think that can be arranged somehow," Stormy said finally.

"We'd have to ask him if it's okay, of course," Icy added.

"Very well, then," he nodded. "I expect an answer by tonight, if possible; tomorrow morning at the latest."

The Trix nodded before leaving the office, relief written all over their faces.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Cloud Tower; Headmaster's Office; The Next Morning-

The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Valtor was startled slightly out of his meditation by a low and breathy voice.

"You wanted to see me?" Darkar asked as he materialized in the room.

"Why yes," Valtor rose and turned to the skeletal figure with a smirk. "Lord Darkar."

Darka's eyes glinted red. "How are you here!" He hissed, pinning the wizard to the wall. "You were sentenced to eternity in the Omega Dimension after you were caught by the Company of Light!"

"I have my ways," Valtor shrugged, straightening his clothing out as Darkar stepped away from him.

"What do you want?" Darkar asked.

"A mere favour, I suppose you could say," Valtor drawled.

"And that would be?" Darkar's eyes glinted again.

"I would like permission to borrow your witches now and then," Valtor told the skeletal figure. "No more, no less."

"And what would I get out of this?" The Shadow Phoenix asked.

"Why my help anytime you wish, of course," Valtor stated as though it were obvious.

Darkar contemplated the agreement for a moment before nodding and stuck his hand out to the wizard. "Very well, then. It's a deal."

Valtor smirked and clasped hands with the shadow phoenix. But unnoticed by the skeletal figure, the wizard's hand had glowed briefly while clasping Darkar's before dying away as soon as it came.

* * *

-Magix City-

"Did you find her yet?" Orgon asked as the three other Wizards of the Black Circle materialized in the alley he stood in.

"There are traces of her having been in the city, but it's faint," Gantlos reported.

"Nothing else?" Orgaon asked.

The rest shook their heads in negative.

"Well, I'm going back to that city on Earth," Anagan said suddenly, as he made to leave. "Her magic and aura are strongest there."

"Then I'll go and keep an eye on Tir Nan Og" Orgon announced.

"But we can't get in unless a fairy invites us!" Duman protested.

"Don't you think I know that?" Orgon snapped. "I'll be keeping a watch on it from the outside, you idiot!"

"I'll scout out the forest and the schools," Gantlos told them. "There's a good chance she might be there."

"I'll stay here in Magix," Duman added.

And with that, each of the Wizards, bar Duman phased away to their declared locations to continue their search.

_'It won't be long now,'_ Duman thought as he walked the streets of Magix in disguise. _'Soon that Earth Fairy will be in our grasp.'_

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	19. 18- The Move

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Not very long, but at least it's up…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Move~Oo**

-Magical Reality Chamber-

"Professor Saladin," Faragonda said, "Do you remember the coordinates from the last transmission your boys sent you?"

Saladin nodded. "They were still on Sparx, and I would assume that they must still be there." He quickly relayed the coordinates to the elf-like professor typing away at the keyboard.

"But I just don't understand it," Saladin shook his head in confusion. "The ship was equipped with every protection you can imagine, so how could we have lost the signal?"

Faragonda smiled sadly and put a hand on the headmaster's shoulder. "Don't worry, Saladin, we'll find them. If we can't find my girls, then we will most certainly find your boys."

"Thank you, Faragonda," Saladin said softly.

"Headmistress, Headmaster," Paladium called to the school heads, "the chamber is ready for transportation."

"Well, then, I suppose that would be our cue," Faragonda said as she and Saladin walked into the Chamber, their clothes automatically turning into something more suitable for cold weather.

"Now, I've left you and Griselda in charge of the girls, Paladium," the headmistress reminded. "And Professor Saladin has left Codatorta in charge of his students. Be on constant alert and have everyone ready to fight the witches when the time comes."

Paladium nodded at the headmistress' orders and pressed a button, watching as the headmaster and headmistress disappeared with a flash of light.

* * *

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

"So what are you going to do now?" Sky asked the girls after they woke up that morning.

"We could go after Darkar or the witches first since we know where they are," Layla began.

"But what about Valtor?" Stella asked. "He's the bigger threat here."

"Stella has a point," Tecna conceded. "But we also need to remember that the Wizards of the Black Circle are loose as well. We need to lure them all to one place and then make our move."

"Uh, girls?" Bloom called as she and Musa looked into the magical sphere. "I think we might have a problem with that!"

"What's happened?" Flora asked, coming into the room with the pixies hovering behind her.

"The Wizards split up," Bloom explained. "One's in Gardenia, the other's in Magix City, another's watching Tir Nan Og, and the last is checking out the forest around the schools."

"This is so not going according to plan," Stella groaned.

"How do we get them in one place, though?" Musa asked. "And where?"

"We need to get them somewhere that we won't risk hurting other people," Flora told them.

"But where?" Layla asked,

The boys looked at each other before Timmy stepped forwards a bit. "Why don't you get them to go to the Omega Dimension?"

"Or Obsidian?" Brandon suggested.

The girls looked at each other for a moment.

"Both are good choices," Tecna said slowly. "However, Obsidian would only offer strength to them, and the Wizards would still be as powerful as they are now in the Omega dimension."

"But if we got them into Obsidian…" Flora trailed off as she looked at Bloom, who was deep in thought.

"We could…" Stella trailed off as well.

Suddenly, Musa's head snapped to the side in alarm, eye wide. "Someone's here…"

"What?" The girls and boys chorused.

"Hold on, I'll check it out with my radar," Tecna stated, holding her hand out with a 3D holo-map appearing in her palm. "She's right, two people have come to Sparx and they're headed this way!"

"Can you tell who they are?" Flora asked worriedly.

The fairy of technology shook her head. "No, but I bet they're either from Alfea or Red Fountain." She turned to the Specialists. "They must have come to find you five."

"So what do we do?" Stella asked.

"We need to get out of here," Layla stated. "And fast."

"But where?" Musa asked.

"What about the Resort Realm?" Flora suggested. "There's no magic there, and I don't think anyone would think to look for a couple fairies in a magic-free realm."

"It's perfect!" Stella exclaimed. "My family has a villa there that we can use as a base of sorts," she elaborated at her friends' expressions.

"That _would_ make a good place to hide," Bloom admitted. "But what about the boys?"

The Winx looked to the Specialists. "If we take you with us, there could be trouble. But if we don't how do we know you won't tell Ms. F about what we're doing?"

The Specialists looked at one another before nodding, with Riven grunting and looking off to the side.

"You don't have to worry," Helia told the girls. "Because we're coming with you."

The Winx's jaws dropped. "But—" Layla began, only to be cut off.

"We need to hurry!" Tecna said as she watched the two blips on her radar come closer and closer to their location.

"Look, you girls are really brave for doing this by yourselves," Brandon explained, "but we can help you guys out, too. Whenever you can't use magic, we can help you."

Quickly the girls looked at each other, silently speaking through their eyes before nodding.

"All right," Bloom nodded, "Get in your ship! Quickly! We'll get us off of Sparx and then you can take us to the resort realm."

The Specialists nodded and with that, the girls ran off after them into their ship, where Tecna helped to start things up while Flora removed the vines binding the ship. Layla and Musa kept the barrier up as it would help them navigate through the blizzard.

"Here we go!" Timmy shouted as they took off.

"Let's go: Believix!" The girls shouted. Within seconds, the six girls stood there in their Believix forms. "Winx: Zoomix!" Their Zoomix wings replaced their usual wings on their backs.

"Okay, everyone, we need to concentrate on getting off of Sparx," Bloom told the girls as they closed their eyes and clasped hands with each other. A glow outlined the six fairies and soon enough, the same glow outline the entire ship and the Specialists as well.

Within seconds, the ship and its passengers were gone.

* * *

-Sparx-

Faragonda and Saladin landed on Sparx with a soft _FLUMP_.

"There's nothing here," Saladin said softly. "Not since those witches destroyed everything."

Faragonda nodded in agreement, only to stop when she saw a large shadow up ahead. _'What could that be?'_

"Faragonda?" Saladin called when he saw the headmistress walking off in another direction. "Where are you going?" When he received no answer, the headmaster ran to catch up with her. "At least wait for me, then!"

"What on earth is the matter, Faragonda?" Saladin asked when he caught up with the headmistress. But sighed when he received no answer and decided to continue to follow his companion through the blizzard.

After what felt like an hour, Faragonda stopped.

"_Now_ will you t—oh my goodness…" Saladin trailed off at the sight of the Royal Palace of Sparx.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it Saladin?" Faragonda whispered.

The headmaster could only nod. "But everything else is frozen here," he said. "How could this have not been lost to the snow and ice?"

Faragonda's eyes narrowed at the large structure. She walked towards it and waved her hand once. "Just as I thought," Faragonda observed. "Magic was used to defrost the castle. And I know this kind of magic."

"Your girls?" Saladin asked. He spotted something next to the palace and headed towards it.

Faragonda nodded. "They must be here…Saladin?" She turned to look for the headmaster, only to find him walking towards the palace. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't think your girls are here anymore," Saladin said, crouching down to the snow and rubbing his hands though it. "And neither are my boys. The way the snow is scattered here shows a ship taking-off, rather than a landing. For whatever reason, it seems that my boys have fled with your girls."

Faragonda closed her eyes and nodded with a sigh. "Come, we must go back to Alfea and prepare ourselves."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	20. 19- Killing Two Birds with One Stone

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Once again, probably not going to be what I consider long, but that's just the way I'm planning things out.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Killing Two Birds with One Stone~Oo**

-Resort Realm-

"That was a close one," Stella sighed as she slumped into a chair in her family's villa.

"And it only means that we don't have a lot of time left to do what we need to," Bloom told her friends and the Specialists.

"Okay, so where do we lure the Wizards?" Musa asked. "Omega or Obsidian?"

"I think our best chance would be in Obsidian," Tecna said slowly. "We could kill two birds with one stone."

"What!" Stella all but shouted. "Are you kidding? You remember what happened the last time we went there!"

"And last time we were only Enchantix fairies," Tecna reminded the blonde fairy. "This time, so long as we stay in our Sirenix or Harmonix forms, we should be fine. The growth in our power in those forms should protect us much better than the magic we have as Enchantix fairies."

"Harmonix?" Helia asked. "What's that?"

"It was a form we had when we were completing the Sirenix trials to get our Sirenix," Layla answered. She turned back to the girls. "But I don't think we should use our Harmonix; think about it: our Harmonix is way stronger in water than out of it."

"But so is our Sirenix," Flora pointed out. "Though it changes when we enter the Infinite Ocean."

"Flora's right about that," Bloom answered. "But I think Layla has a point about our Harmonix, too."

"I agree with Layla," Musa piped up. "If we're not going near water, then we shouldn't use our Harmonix."

"Okay, so we'll use our Sirenix," Stella said loudly, shutting everyone up. "But how do we get the Wizards to come to Obsidian?"

"There's a way to mimic another fairy's magic," Bloom said slowly. "I read about it when we were home. It's not really a spell, and runs mostly on instinct and thought, You need to think about the person whose magic you want to copy, and after a few minutes, you'll do it."

"It sounds a bit risky," Flora commented. "What if we lose our concentration?"

"Then we need to do this as soon as possible," Musa told them all.

"So who's—" Timmy began.

"I'll do it," Bloom cut in. "I need you guys to go with the girls to Obsidian. I'll meet everyone there with the Wizards."

"And then we'll need to pair off," Layla reminded. "Last time we went in there the guys got separated from us, remember?"

The girls nodded.

The Specialists all huddled together and discussed in whispers as to who would go with who.

"Okay, I'm with Stella," Brandon told the girls, "Sky's going with Bloom, Timmy's with Tecna, Helia doesn't mind going with Flora, and Riven's going with Musa and Layla. That okay?"

The girls looked at each other; they didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse that the guys coincidentally paired them all like that. They nodded slowly in acceptance.

"Then you all can go to Obsidian," Bloom told them. "I'll go and gather the Wizards."

And with that, the Specialists and fairies set to work.

* * *

-Magix City-

"I hope this works," Bloom murmured as she flew high above the bustling city. The keeper of the dragon flame closer her eyes and, with Roxy in mind, began twirling, slow at first, but faster and faster with each rotation.

A cloud of magic surrounded the spinning fairy until it built up to the point where it exploded with a large _BOOM_. With that, Bloom had stopped and flew off over Alfea and quickly transported herself to Obsidian, still leaving an obvious trail of magic behind for the wizards to follow.

Duman looked up when he heard the loud sound, as had many others in the city. But his eyes widened when he felt the familiar magic he and his comrades had been searching for. Quickly sending a message to the rest of the wizards, Duman flew up towards the source of magic, only to find the fairy flying away and quickly followed after her.

Soon enough, the one Wizard was joined by his three other comrades and together they followed the fairy until they came to an area where a large portion of magic seemed to have been used.

"Where did she go?" Gantlos growled.

Orgon closed his eyes and quickly used his magic to 'sniff' out Bloom's trail. "She's gone to Obsidian," he grinned maliciously.

The other three looked at him and blinked.

"Why the heck would a _fairy_ go to _Obsidian_?" Anagan sputtered. "Everyone knows that it's the one place _no one_ should go!"

"But are we just going to stand here and let the fairy go or are we going after her?" Orgon asked rhetorically. And with that, the four Wizards of the Black Circle disappeared off to the realm of Obsidian.

* * *

-Obsidian-

(AN: I remember that go get into Obsidian, the girls had to first get through the Obsidian Gate with Lockette's help. Here I've decided that this Obsidian has no gate with a lock to be opened. Rather, it's closed off from everyone, and was sealed away, but the girls' Sirenix powers were strong enough to break through the seal.)

"They're coming!" Bloom shouted at her friends, who all stood with their partnered Specialist. "They're on my trail so we need to get going! NOW!"

And with that, both the Sirenix fairies and the Specialists took off. And soon enough, the Wizards were right on their trail.

But no one noticed the figure with a horde of insect swarming behind her. "No one gains entrance to Obsidian!" she hissed.

**_Winx~Club_**

The group flew/ran for had seemed to be about half an hour when Bloom abruptly cut off the flow of magic she was using to mimic Roxy's and gestured for everyone to hide.

But before they could do so, Musa's head snapped to the side. "I'd know those insects anywhere," she muttered. "Everyone we have to move quickly! Mandragora's headed this way!"

"Who?" Brandon asked.

"Mandragora," Tecna explained. "The Witch of Insects. She guards Obsidian and makes sure no one gets in, and if anyone _does_ get in, then she makes sure they never get out."

"How are we supposed to take that witch on with the Wizards right after us?" Stella asked.

"We'll take care of Mandragora," Sky told the girls. "You six just make sure you get rid of the Wizards."

The girls looked hesitant to be separated, but nodded nevertheless and flew off, Bloom starting up the copy of Roxy's magic once more, for the Wizards to follow.

The Specialists hid behind a cluster of jagged rocks and watched as the fairy hunters flew by.

"So those are the Wizards of the Black Circle…" Brandon commented softly.

"Shut up," Riven ordered. "Someone's coming."

"Mandragora?" Timmy whispered.

"Maybe," Sky nodded.

And sure enough, in a matter of seconds, a woman with gravity-defying hair, lavender tinted skin wearing a green bodysuit, and a displeased expression sitting on her face.

"By that look on her face," Sky joked, "I think that's our witch! Let's go!"

And with that, the Specialists all jumped out from hiding and shouted a battle cry as they all began to use their weapons against Mandragora, all having little to no effect on her.

"Do you really think pathetic weapons like that will be enough to defeat me?" Mandragora laughed. "Me! The Guardian of the Obsidian Dimension!" The witch snapped her fingers and watched with malicious glee as her insects swarmed around the Specialists, weaving a sort of clear jelly-like substance around them all.

By the time Mandrgora called off her insects, the Specialists were covered in the jelly-like substance from their necks to their toes.

"Pathetic little boys," the witch cooed mockingly. "It really is sad that our time must be cut short. But I really must go and attend to my other…_guests_." The witch laughed as she flew away, her swarm of insects right behind her. "Ta ta!"

**_Winx~Club_**

Just like before, Bloom cut off the flow of magic she was using to create a copy of Roxy's magical signature.

"They're right behind us," Stella said, eyes wide.

"Hide," Bloom ordered. "We'll hit them with a Convergence attack when they get here."

The other girls nodded and they all rushed to hide behind a large cluster of jagged rocks, fashioned to look much like a large cliff of sorts.

They waited a little bit until Tecna alterted them to the Wizards' presence. "Now!"

The Winx all clasped hands, closed their eyes and concentrated on merging their powers together. "Sirenix Convergence!" they shouted together. A multi-coloured beam of light shot out from the centre of their circle and blasting the Wizards, turning them into stone.

"That was too easy!" Stella exclaimed.

"Wait a second," Musa stopped the cheering. "There's only three of them here." She turned to her friends, eyes wide. "Where's the last? Where's Orgon?"

**_Winx~Club_**

Orgon hadn't been turned to stone, simply because he wasn't following his comrades as closely as they'd expected him to.

No, when he felt a wave of dark magic following behind him, the leader of the Wizards of the Black Circle slowed down to allow the bearer of such dark magic to catch up to him. He wasn't disappointed when he saw Mandragora. Rather, he smiled wickedly at the unsuspecting Guardian of Obsidian.

"Now who would you be?" Orgon asked slowly.

"I am the Guardian of this dimension," Mandragora hissed. "And it is my duty to keep intruders out of Obsidian!" And with that, the Guardian of Obsidian snapped her fingers and watched her swarm of insect charge Orgon, only form them to catch thin air.

"What the—" The witch's eyes widened before she turned around, to find the fairy hunter right behind her.

"Hello," he smirked, shooting a ball of energy at the witch, who dodged his attack.

This continued on for a while. Orgon would continue throwing attacks at Mandragora, who would dodge them before doing the same to him, only for him to dodge them as well. Neither landed many hits on each other, but Mandragora was tiring and soon, her body was littered with wounds of various types and sizes.

"Any last words?" Orgon asked as he gripped the witch by the throat and lifted her up to eye level.

Silence was the only answer Orgon received. And so, the fairy hunter squeezed her through just a bit as a violet aura spread down his form and engulfed Mandragora completely. Soon enough, the form of Mandragora was nothing more than a ball of violet energy that was absorbed by the crimson-haired hunter.

"And now for the Earth Fairy," he whispered as he once again followed the trail of magic.

**_Winx~Club_**

"So what are we supposed to be doing exactly?" Brandon asked.

"We _should_ be helping the girls," Helia stated. "But I don't that will be happening anytime soon."

"Timmy," Riven said.

"What?" The orange-haired Specialist craned his neck to look at the magenta-haired Specialist.

Riven rolled over to his side so his back was facing Timmy. "Hit me as hard as you can."

"What?" the rest of the boys chorused. Riven letting someone hit him willingly? That was a first!

"Hit me as hard as you can," he repeated slowly. "There's a chance that you could hit my phantoblade and we'd be able to get out of this mess."

Nodding in understanding, Timmy rolled over and hit Riven's back as hard as he could. He must have hit right on the mark, because Riven's violet phantoblade activated and cut through the jelly-like substance binding him.

The magenta-haired specialist quickly freed himself and went over to the rest of his friends to cut them loose as well.

"We need to get going," Sky told the rest of the Specialists. "Mandragora's still after the girls and we need to get rid of her before she gets them."

Nodding, the rest of the squad ran in the direction the Winx had gone in.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Someone's coming," Musa said as she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around them, or lack thereof.

"Orgon?" Layla suggested.

"It could be," Flora nodded. "So we really shouldn't stick around."

Agreeing, the Winx set off again with Bloom once again releasing Roxy's faux signature.

Unfortunately, the girls were so focused on trapping and stopping Orgon that they never realized just _where_ in Obsidian they were headed.

**_Winx~Club_**

Orgon followed the magical signature the Winx were leaving for him to follow, when he stopped abruptly.

In front of him were three statues.

Three very _familiar_ statues.

The crimson-haired hunter stalked forwards and took a good look at each of the statues' faces before his eyes narrowed in anger and glowed red.

Getting back into the air, the hunter once again followed the trail of magic, vowing revenge against those that had turned his comrades into stone.

**_Winx~Club_**

The girls flew for about fifteen minutes when they decided to stop in a large cave-like structure, figuring that it would be the best way to trap Orgon if he had a limited amount of space to move around in.

Bloom cut the magic once more and the girls waited for the hunter to show up, never seeing the three wraiths looming silently in the background.

Stella looked around the cave as they waited; only to squeal in fright when her eyes laid upon what looked like a human statue. "What is that?"

"Stella!" the girls hissed.

"But look!" Stella pointed to the stone figure.

The girls glanced at the stone figure and froze. "It can't be…" Bloom murmured before looking up behind her.

There stood a large stalagmite with a glowing sword embedded in it, with the figure of a man reaching out for it from the wall to its right.

"Oh no…" Musa groaned. "Wrong place, right?"

The rest of the girls just nodded solemnly.

"If we're here," Bloom whispered. "Then you can be sure that the Ancestresses are somewhere around, too."

"Well, well, well," Orgon drawled as he came to a stop in front of the Winx. "What do we have here? A group of meddling fairies?" His expression grew dark. "None of you are Earth Fairies; I can sense it. So where is she? The last Earth Fairy."

"She's not here," Layla shrugged.

"She never was," Tecna added.

"You were just tricked," Stella winked.

Wide eyes glowed red with anger as the fairy hunter began to hurl attacks at the girls, each returning the next.

Eventually, the Specialists finally arrived and joined in on the fray, but no one could get a direct hit on Orgon. It seemed that the snack that was Mandragora did more to boost his power than anything.

Suddenly, Orgon froze in midair.

Everyone stopped as cackles echoed around the cave.

"I know these voices," Bloom murmured. Her eyes widened in horror. "No…"

"You, wizard, have taken Mandragora from us," Lysslis hissed. "A worthy servant she was…"

"Although we aren't anything more than wandering wraiths," Belladona continued, "we still have power."

"In return for taking Mandragora, from you we'll take your body!" Tharma cackled as the three wriths merged as one into Orgon's body.

The Winx and Specialists watched as the wizard fought for control over his body by attempting to absorb the magic of the Ancestral Witches, but to no avail. Soon, much like Mandragora had been in their world, Orgon was completely under the control of the three Ancestresses.

"Keep them busy," Bloom whispered to her friends. "I need to get to Sky. He's the only one that can stop them!"

The girls gave Bloom a nod and began hurling attack after attack at Orgon's body, allowing Bloom to zip away. Following their lead, the Specialists jumped into the battle, weapons at the ready.

"Sky!" Bloom hissed.

The blonde-haired prince turned to look at her as he blocked an energy ball. "What?"

"There's no way we can stop the witches like this," Bloom told him. "Do you see that sword in the stone up there?"

Sky followed Bloom's eyes and spotted the weapon. He nodded at her.

"Only a 'king without a crown' can pull it out," Bloom explained. "That sword is the only way to defeat the Ancestresses and you're the only one that can pull it out. As a prince, you're a king-in-training, and that means that you're technically, a king without a crown."

Sky looked at Bloom skeptically for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Why would I try to trick you at a time like this?" Bloom raised an eyebrow, hurling an attack at Orgon's body.

Sky grinned sheepishly before nodding and heading off towards the sword.

"Okay, let's see what I can do," Bloom muttered under her breath. Taking a deep breath, the fiery-haired fairy shot a stream of fire at Orgon's body, only for it to be extinguished by the Ancestresses.

"Well, what do we have here?" the three Ancestresses' voices came out of Orgon's mouth. "Why it looks like the youngest remaining daughter of Oritel and Miriam. She who holds the Dragon Flame!"

Suddenly, Orgon's body broke into a dive, headed straight for Bloom, who flew out of the way just in time.

Bloom shot attack after attack, as did her friends, but to no avail, the Ancestresses were too strong.

Soon, Orgon's body had caught up to Bloom and caught her throat between his hands.

"Poor little princess with hardly any family left," the Ancestresses cooed, ignoring the repeated attacks shooting at them. "Would you like to know how your father faced his last moments?" they cackled.

_'This feels awfully familiar…'_ Bloom thought sarcastically.

The witches were about to say something else when a sword was plunged through Orgons back and came out of his torso.

"Sky!" Bloom shouted in relief, watching the spirits of the Ancestresses flee from Orgon's body in an attempt to save themselves, only to disentigrate into dust much like the fairy hunter's body, their power broken.

All around them, the cave started to crack and chip away, revealing the citizens of Domino, who had been frozen so long ago.

**_Winx~Club_**

Much like in their world, as soon as the Ancestresses' power was broken, life returned to Sparx and the age of ice ended.

Oritel and the many citizens of Sparx stood in front of a large gate, that faded to dust quickly, looked around them in confusion. The king, however, searched for his wife.

Sky stepped forward with Oritel's swords in his hands and held it out to the king, who took the sword from him.

Upon touching the sword, much like what had happened the first time around, Miriam appeared next to her husband, who caught her in a tight embrace.

"Mother? Father?" Daphne said hesitantly, as she floated forward.

"Daphne!" Miriam gasped. "What happened to you?"

Daphne smiled and rushed to her parents, wrapping her semi-opaque arms around them. "Much has happened in the years you've been gone. But everything will be all right now, thanks to—" Daphne stopped when she saw that neither the Winx nor the Specialists were no longer there. "—my sister and her friends," she finished softly.

"Bloom!" Oritel's eyes widened in alarm. "What's happened to Bloom? Where is she?"

"Come," Daphne gesture to the palace. "There is a much you need to know."

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"Are you sure about just leaving like that?" Flora asked Bloom.

The princess of Sparx nodded her head. "I'm sure, Flora. I definitely wanted to see them, but with everything else going on right now, it's not the right time."

"So where are we headed off to next?" Musa asked.

"ShadowHaunt or back to Alfea?" Layla added.

"We really sh—" Tecna began, only to be cut off by their pixies screaming and shouting as they came into the room.

"Chatta, Sweetie," Flora soothed. "What's the matter?"

"We just checked on Pixie Village in the Sphere," Lockette explained.

"How is everyone?" Layla asked.

"Not good," Amore shook her head.

"The Flower of Life is sick again and there are a bunch of sick pixies that need tea," Chatta told the girls.

"I guess this puts our plans off for a bit," Bloom commented. "Besides, this is way more important."

"I can go to Pixie Village to heal the Flower of Life," Flora told them. "Why don't the rest of you try to find out where Valtor is?"

"That sounds like a plan," Tecna agreed.

"But at least take someone with you," Layla said, subtly looking at Helia before looking back at the fairy of nature.

Flora blushed. "That's okay, I can go by myself."

Helia coughed. "If it's all right with you, Flora, I'd like to go with you. I've never been to Pixie Village and I'd like to check out some of the plantlife they have there."

"O-Okay," Flora stuttered. _'Why am I acting like this? It feels like my crush on Helia all over again!'_

The pair stood up and Flora shifted to her Believix form. In a matter of seconds, the duo was gone.

"Let's go and see if we can find Valtor," Bloom said as she walked into another room, where a large sphere hovered.

* * *

-ShadowHaunt-

Darkar panted as he attempted to walk back to the throne room in his self-proclaimed palace.

The skeletal figure had been growing weaker and weaker since the day he'd reacquainted himself with Valtor and couldn't understand why. It felt as though his strength was being sapped by an unknown force. He could barely do the most simple of spells anymore.

"I must have the Ultimate Power before my power is completely gone," Darkar panted.

He never saw mark on the back of his hand that glowed violet for a moment before fading away.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	21. 20- Another Plan

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This, once again, probably won't be very long…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Another Plan~Oo**

-Pixie Village-

Flora's face became one of worry and horror the moment she, Helia, and the Pixies appeared just outside of the village.

"Is something wrong?" Helia asked, seeing Flora's expression.

"Something's not right," she muttered as she walked into Pixie Village, her companions behind her.

"Is there anything I may help you with?" Ninfea asked warily as Flora and her group came to the village.

"My name is Flora," the fairy of nature told the pixie leader, "I'm one of Layla's friends. She came to get your piece of the Codex from you?"

Realization dawned on Ninfea's face as wariness drained from her posture. "Ah yes. You are one of her friends, then? Is there anything we can help you with? Is our piece of the Codex safe?"

Flora nodded. "Yes, Layla is one of my best friends. And your piece of the Codex is safe and unharmed. As for why I'm here—"

"We brought her to help!" Chatta cut in.

"Chatta!" Tune smacked the pigtailed pixie lightly over the head. "Don't be rude!"

"But it's true!" the pixie of gossip rubbed her head as she protested.

Ninfea chuckled at the pixies.

"I think what Chatta is trying to say is that we've brought Flora to heal the Flower of Life," Digit said.

Ninfea looked surprised. "How did you come to know of the Flower's condition?"

"Magic," Flora winked.

Ninfea looked amused, but she looked at Flora seriously. "Are you sure you can heal the Flower of Life?"

Flora nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with it, but I promise that I'll do my best."

Ninfea sighed. "Very well, then." She moved out of the way and let the group see the Flower of Life. "I've done all I can, but maybe you can do something I can't."

Flora nodded her thanks at the pixie leader as she flittered off. The fairy of nature dispelled her Believix and stepped forward to the Flower and gasped.

The Flower of Life had lost colour to the point where much of it looked a dark shade of grey, close to black, and it was emitting some sort of blackish pollen.

"Oh no…" Flora said under her breath as she kneeled down next to the Flower.

"Do you know what's wrong with it?" Helia asked as he looked at the Flower worriedly.

Flora shook her head. "Not yet, but I will." And with that, the fairy of nature closed her eyes and put her now glowing hands over the flower.

Helia and the pixies watched as Flora concentrated on the flower, her expression becoming strained and tinged with pain.

The Specialist reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but was stopped by the pixies, who shook their heads at him.

"You shouldn't do that," Lockette told the Specialist. "Flora might lose her concentration."

"Then you know why she looks like she's in pain?" Helia asked quietly.

"She might be feeling the pain the Flower of Life is feeling," Amore replied.

"As the Guardian Fairy of Nature, she's connected to all forms of nature," Digit added.

Helia's eyes narrowed slightly. _'Guardian Fairy of Nature? There's something I'm missing here; these girls have only just earned their Charmix, so how could they have become Believix fairies, let alone Guardian Fairies? That shouldn't be possible…unless there's more to the girls' story than they're telling us…'_

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"I can't see anything!" Stella huffed as she plopped down into a chair. "I keep asking to see Valtor and that stupid sphere just keeps showing fog!"

"I guess that means that he's being protected by some strong magic," Musa replied.

"So how are we supposed to find this guy now?" Riven asked.

"Bloom," Tecna's eyes widened. "Can't you track him? You have the powers of the Dragon Fire while he was created from the ashes of that fire, so shoulnd't the both of you have some sort of connection?"

Bloom shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. I can send out my power to search for him, but he'll know where we are if I do."

"Anybody have a better idea?" Sky asked.

"Well, we can probably use the spell Flo and I used to track down the Trix," Musa suggested. "I don't know if it'll work for Valtor, though."

"It's the only plan we've got," Bloom told her. "So it's just as good as anything. "Can you project the spell into the sphere? That way we can see where he is?"

Musa nodded. "But I'll need Tecna's help; she's a lot better with tweaking spells than I am."

And with that, the two fairies set to work. The two fairies clasped hands and chanted until a green and magenta glow engulfed their figures as they chanted under their breaths.

Suddenly, a small beam of energy left the fairies and was absorbed into the sphere.

Tecna and Musa separated and stood back. "Well, that's the best we could do," Musa panted lightly. "All we have to do now is tell it to find Valtor."

Impatient, it was Stella who did just that, to the amusement of her friends. "Okay you hunk of magic! Do what you're told and show us where the heck Valtor is!"

"Should something be happening?" Brandon asked slowly.

"We should be—" Layla said before the image in the sphere began to change. "Never mind, I think it's working now."

The image in the sphere cleared to show an aerial view of the three schools, or at least, what _had_ been the three schools.

"What happened to Red Fountain!" The boys shouted in alarm, looking at the icy rubble.

"My guess is the witches," Musa replied, peering closely at the remains of the School of Heroics.

"Then I guess that means that they've got the fake piece of the Codex from Red Fountain," Stella spoke.

The girls nodded and the group watched as the image rippled again, only to show a close-up view of Cloud Tower.

"I guess this is where Valtor is," Layla stated the obvious.

"Yes, but how can we get in without alerting him?" Tecna asked.

Both fairies and Specialists thought for a moment. Stella's eyes lit up. "Hey, why don't we use the tunnels Knut showed us?"

While the Specialists were clueless, the eyes of the remaining members of the Winx, bar Layla, lit up in realization.

"That just might work!" Musa said excitedly.

"Um, a little explanation over here," Layla waved her hands at herself and the boys.

Bloom pulled the fairy of waves aside and explained to her quietly. "Four years ago, during our Freshman year, Icy, Darsi and Stormy went on a bit of a power rampage and started to take over all the schools. But they weren't able to get close to Alfea, so in an attempt to get my Dragon Fire back from them, Stella, Sky, Brandon, and I went to Cloud Tower through some tunnels Knut lead us through."

Layla nodded in understanding. But what the girls didn't realize was that the boys had managed to overhear some of what Bloom had said, but not everything.

"That doesn't make any sense," Sky whispered to his friends. "I don't remember anything like that happening four years ago!"

"I guess this just means that the girls are hiding something," Timmy shrugged as Riven narrowed his eyes at the fairies once more.

_'Just what could they be hiding?'_ the magenta-haired Specialist wondered.

The image in the sphere began to ripple once more, but this time when it cleared up, it only showed the same image of Cloud Tower shown before.

"Erm, what's that's supposed to mean?" Sky asked.

"If Valtor's at Cloud Tower, he must be using magic to protect himself," Bloom mused. "It's probably why we can't see him in the sphere."

"What about the witches and Ms. Griffin?" Stella asked.

"Yeah," Layla added. "The last time Valtor was there, he managed to turn all the witches into zombies, and I think Ms. Griffin was trapped."

"Let's take a look, then," Tecna suggested as she turned to the sphere. "Show us the Cloud Tower witches."

The image rippled and showed the witches attending their classes as they usually would.

"That's strange," Tecna muttered. "There doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about them…"

"Show us Ms. Griffin," Layla ordered quickly.

The image rippled once again, but this time, all that was shown was an image of the Cloud Tower dungeons.

"This can't be good," Timmy commented.

"It isn't," Tecna confirmed. "My guess is that Ms. Griffin must be held captive in the dungeons and with really strong and dark magic at that. If she wasn't, then the sphere would have shown us where she was and how she is."

"But what's Valtor doing at Cloud Tower?" Sky asked.

"We don't know," Layla answered. "But if he hasn't gotten the witches under his control yet, then he must have some other plan…"

"So are we heading out to Cloud Tower or what?" Riven asked.

"I think we should wait for Flora and Helia first," Bloom replied.

* * *

Flora's eyes snapped open as she panted in exhaustion.

"What happened?" Chatta asked, flying in front of her fairy's face. "What'd you find out?"

"The Flower was contaminated," Flora told them. "Somehow, it was poisoned so much that it's trying to release the dark magic in its system."

"But how is the Flower?" Tune asked worriedly with Piff making curious noises.

"Not very well," Flora shook her head.

"You can help it, right?" Lockette piped up.

Flora looked at the Pixies with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can." She looked back to the Flower of Life. _'The best way to start healing the flower is to get rid of all the dark magic poisoning it. I guess my fairy dust could help, but I'll need a large amount of it…'_

"Let's go: Enchantix!" Flora shouted.

Within a matter of seconds, Flora was hovering above the Flower of Life in her Enchantix Form.

Helia's eyes widened. _'Beautiful…'_

Flora closed her eyes and summoned her fairy dust and sprinkled it over the Flower of Life, praying for it to work.

The Pixies and Helia looked on at the Flower anxiously as Flora's fairy dust covered it.

The pixies broke out into cheers when they saw the Flower of Life had stopped spewing out dark-hued pollen and was regaining colour bit by bit.

"It's working!" Amore cheered.

"Amazing," Helia said in awe as he watched the fairy dust heal the Flower.

"How did you know fairy dust would work?" Helia asked when Flora was once again on the ground.

"I didn't," Flora admitted. "I only knew that Fairy dust is the best counter for really dark spells, and I decided to give it a try. Besides, fairy dust can only heal and dispel dark magic; it can't harm."

The group watched as fresh tea leaves erupted from the Flower of Life and rained down around them.

"Now let's gather some of those leaves and make a nice pot of tea," Flora suggested.

**_Winx~Club_**

"How can we ever thank you?" Ninfea asked as she watched pixies play about in the village as though there had been nothing wrong with them.

"Don't worry about it," Flora assured the pixie leader as she poured the last of the tea to the last of the sick pixies. "I'm just glad I could help."

"How was the Flower of Life cursed?" Helia asked.

"The Shadow Pheonix," Ninfea stated. "I believe he called himself 'Lord Darkar'. He found our village and demanded that we give him our piece of the Codex. I refused and we all did everything we could to defend the village and the piece of the Codex, despite it being a replica, but he was just too strong. He took the replica and just before he left, he poisoned our Flower and pixies."

"Darkar has your replica?" Flora asked worriedly.

Ninfea nodded sadly. "But at least he doesn't have the true piece of the Codex that belonged to us, or there would be trouble."

Flora nodded distractedly. "Yes, and I'm glad. But we really need to get going or our friends will get worried."

Ninfea nodded and bade them farewell as she flew back to the village.

"Something wrong?" Helia asked.

"If Darkar got the replica piece of the Codex from Pixie Village, then he must be after the rest of them, too," Flora replied. "We have to get back to the others."

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"So the Flower of Life is okay?" Bloom asked when Flora, Helia, and the pixies appeared in the villa.

Flora nodded. "But Ninfea told me that Darkar was the one to do that to the Flower when he took the replica piece of the Codex from Pixie Village."

"The witches attacked Red Fountain," Layla told Flora and Helia. "And I think that they tookt he fake from there, too."

"Don't forget Cloud Tower," Stella added. "The witches are there, so it would've been easy to get the fake from there."

"So all that's left is Alfea?" Flora asked.

The group nodded.

"The barrier we placed around the school is holding up," Tecna said as she typed away on her computer, Timmy looking over her shoulder. "There have been no attacks on the school so far, but I wouldn't put it past the witches to not attack for the last fake."

"So where do we go first?" Helia asked.

"We really should go to Cloud T—" Tecna began.

"Wait," Layla cut in. "I just remembered. What about Darkar? Shouldn't we go after him first?"

"Well, let's see where he is," Stella suggested as she walked over to the sphere. "Sphere, show us Darkar."

The image in the sphere rippled once again. This time the image shown was a pale Darkar slumping in his throne.

"Whoa," Layla's eyes widened. "He doesn't look so good. What do you think could've happened to him?"

"I think I know," Bloom said, pointing to something in the picture. She used a little bit of her magic to enlarge the image. "Right there! Valtor's mark is on his hand! Valtor must be siphoning Darkar's powers and absorbing them."

"So what do we do?" Musa asked. "Take Darkar down while he's weak, or do we go after Valtor and potentially make Darkar strong again when he's gone?"

"It doesn't feel right to go after someone when they're already down," Flora commented.

"But we won't have a chance like this ever again," Stella pointed out. "Think about it; if Darkar stays alive, then that just gives Valtor a bigger power boost! If we take him down now, we can stop Valtor from getting stronger, if for only a little bit."

"You have to admit," Timmy cut in, "Stella's got a point."

"But shouldn't we also get Ms. Griffin and the witches out of Cloud Tower?" Bloom asked.

"There is also that," Tecna conceded.

"Why don't we separate?" Flora suggested. "Half of us can go down into ShadowHaunt while the other half goes into Cloud Tower."

"As long as we don't go anywhere near Downland I'm fine!" Stella said, crossing her arms.

The girls giggled when the Specialists exchanged looks of confusion.

"It's a long story," Bloom chuckled.

And so, the group broke into two and took off for their intended destinations.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	22. 21- The First Step

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Here's the next chapter!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The First Step~Oo**

-Cloud Tower; Headmaster's Office-

Rótlàv dispelled the glamour he kept on to hide his form, appearing as Valtor once more. The wizard waved his hand once and watched as a map of the entire magical dimension appeared. He peered around the planets at the map and sighed disappointedly.

With the help of the Trix, he'd already taken the magic of many a realm and so, as a result, there weren't many left to throw into chaos.

"I should really save those for a rainy day," he lamented as he sat back in his chair. "After all, no one can stop me now that I have nearly all of the magic of the entire magical dimension inside of me." He gave a dark chuckle.

A small beeping came from one of the many trinkets on the desk. Valtor sat up and took a look into the viewing globe. He watched as the Trix flew off towards Alfea to gather the last piece of the Codex under Darkar's orders.

"I suppose I could stop them," he mused. "But then again, it'll be fun to watch Alfea crumble. I'll just keep an eye on them."

* * *

-ShadowHaunt-

"The throne room's just up ahead," Layla whispered to the five behind her.

"Are you sure there aren't any guards?" Helia asked.

"There _are_ monsters here," Flora told them, "but they're creatures of the Underrealm. So as long as we don't antagonize them, we should be fine."

"So how are going to take Darkar out?" Stella asked. "A convergence attack?"

"That'll probably be our best bet," Layla nodded.

"But we can weaken him with our fairy dust first," Flora suggested.

"So Helia and I'll create a distraction while you girls get ready," Brandon told the girls.

The three fairies nodded.

"When the boys give us the signal, we'll hit him with everything we've got," Stella exclaimed quietly. "Let's go: Enchantix!"

In a matter of moments, three Enchantix fairies stood in the place of the girls.

The boys gave a salute to the girls as they dived into the throne room. Crashes and yelling could be heard from inside, but the girls didn't dare go in until they were given the signal.

"Let's get the fairy dust ready," Layla suggested, to which her friends nodded in agreement.

And with that, Layla created a thin morphix sphere in which the girls all poured in fairy dust until it was full to the brim.

Flora and Stella watched as the princess of Andros levitated the sphere into the throne room and listened to it pop.

There were sounds of awe from Helia and Brandon while shouts of agony erupted from Darkar.

"Now!" Brandon shouted.

The girls flew into the throne room and cringed a bit as looked upon the writhing form of Lord Darkar. Darkar, it seemed had an adverse affect concerning the fairy dust. His armor was melting and forming globs on the ground while the rest of his form sizzled as though he'd been burned.

The fairies closed their eyes and clasped each others' hands. "Enchantix Convergence!"

A ball of magic composed of all their magic shot towards the melting skeletal figure, hitting him dead on.

There was a great flash of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the glow died away, Darkar was nothing more than a pile of ash on the ground.

The girls and guys began cheering at their victory when they felt a violet tremor. In their excitement, the girls had forgotten that the moment Darkar was destroyed; ShadowHaunt would fall apart because as it was Darkar's magic sustaining the place, without him, there would be nothing left to keep ShadowHaunt 'alive', so to speak.

"Um, I hate to be a downer, but I think we should RUN!" Stella shouted.

And with that, the group of five fled ShadowHaunt and the girls used their Believix powers to get them away from the Underrealm.

* * *

-Alfea-

"So how should we get their attention?" Icy asked her companions. "Phase into the school? Or my personal favuorite: Tear it apart?"

"I'm so going for the second one," Darsi grinned.

"Ditto," Stormy nodded.

The three witches gave a shout as they combined their powers to form a large icy cyclone that crackled with Darsi's power.

But they were surprised when their attack dissipated when it hit some kind of barrier.

"What was that!" Icy demanded. "Since when did they have a barrier up around the sch—"

"Hey what's going on?" Stormy asked as she felt a tingling sensation take over her body.

"This can't be good," Darsi commented as she and Icy were overcome with the very same sensation.

Just then their Gloomix shimmered away from where they were placed on their bodies.

"That's DEFINITELY not good!" Stormy cringed.

"Just _what_ is going on?!" Icy demanded. "What did that pathetic _Lord Darkar_ do?" She threw attack after attack at Alfea, only for them to dissipate on contact with the barrier the Winx had set up around the school.

Darsi and Stormy quickly noticed that Icy's attacks had been reduced to the level they were before getting the Gloomix and realized that the same must have happened to them as well.

"Let's go, Icy," Darsi hissed as she grabbed on of the witch's arms and Stormy grabbed another. "We don't stand a chance right now and you know it."

"Let's get away while we can," Stormy told the ice witch. "After that, we'll see why Darkar cheated us."

**_Winx~Club_**

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"I just don't understand it," Saladin shook his head. "Why did the witches come _now_ of all times to get the Codex?"

"I don't know, Saladin," the headmistress whispered. "I don't know."

"And to top it all off, five of my boys have gone renegade with six of your girls!" the headmaster burst out. "Just what is this world coming to?"

"It seems that there is more going on than even we may ever know," Faragonda told her old friend. She pulled out the letter the girls had left behind.

"The girls wrote that they left because they _needed to_," Faragonda said.

"But what could cause them to do that?" Saladin pressed on.

"Headmistress Faragonda!" Paladium ran into the room. "The three witches that attacked Red Fountain are heading towards Alfea!"

"What?" Faragonda said as she and Saladin followed Paladium out onto the campus grounds where many of the girls and the staff were gathered.

"Over there!" one of the Alfea students shouted as she pointed to where Icy, Darsi and Stormy were positioned.

"Prepare yourself, Saladin," Faragonda warned the headmaster.

The headmaster of Red Fountain said nothing as he kept his staff at the ready.

However, the group was surprised when the attacks the Trix threw at the school dissipated when they came in contact with some sort of barrier around the school.

"What the—" Griselda and the rest of the gathered group gawked at the sight.

"Headmistress," Wizgiz said slowly, "When did you put up a barrier?"

"I didn't," Faragonda said worriedly.

"Then who protected the school?" Paladium asked.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Headmaster's Office-

Valtor chuckled as he watched the Trix's reactions to their attacks being thwarted by the barrier around Alfea.

Suddenly, the wizard collapsed to the floor when he felt a violet jolt run through his body.

_'What's going on?'_ he thought desperately. _'Why do I feel like someone is draining my power?'_

The wizard lifted himself to his feet, using the desk and look into the viewing globe once more. He waved his hand to replay the scene of the Trix attacking the barrier around Alfea and waved his hand once more to zoom in on the scene.

His eyes widened when he noticed the Trix's Gloomix dissolve into nothing.

"Something's happened to him," Valtor muttered under his breath. He waved his hand over he viewing globe once more.

The image shimmered away to show what was left of ShadowHaunt; which was really one large rock pillar standing amongst a multitude of stalagmite and stalactite.

"He's gone, then," Valtor said, sitting back in his chair. "That poses quite a pr—"

A beeping noise of sorts began to ring from one of the many trinkets along the desk.

"Intruders?" the wizard murmured. "And I never noticed?" He waved his hand and the image in the viewing globe changed to show the remainder of the winx and the Specialists traveling through the tunnels below the school.

"Well, well, well," Valtor smirked. "It looks like we have visitors…"

**_Winx~Club_**

-Cloud Tower; Lecture Hall-

"Why do you think he called us here?"

"All right who did it?"

"I didn't do anything! Did you?"

"Well someone must've done something if the headmaster called an assembly out of the blue!"

These were only some of the many whispers and comments floating around the lecture hall as the witches and teachers waited for the headmaster to show up.

"May I have your attention please?" Rótlàv asked as he held his hands up for silence.

The entire room became quiet enough for a person to hear a pin drop.

"Thank you." Rótlàv nodded. "I am sure that you are all wondering why I have called you all here today," a malicious smile spread over his lips.

"I have decided that it's time to stop playing around," Rótlàv's eyes began to glow red, "and start taking over!" A violet-hued blast overtook the entire hall and everyone in it.

When the light dimmed away, all the witches and staff of Cloud Tower, including the Trix, were put into a trance with their eyes blank and Valtor's mark on the sides of their necks.

Rótlàv let his disguise fade and there stood Valtor once again.

"Excellent," the wizard chuckled.

* * *

-Tunnels Underneath Cloud Tower-

"At least the tunnels don't look any different from the last time we were down here," Bloom commented as she and the rest of her group walked on.

"Except the last time, you were here with Stella, Sk—" Musa pointed out.

"Skylar!" Tecna interjected before Musa could finish her sentence. She gave a pointed look at the fairy of music, who quickly realized her mistake and flushed lightly and mouthed, 'Sorry'.

"Skylar?" Timmy asked.

"My boyfriend," Bloom replied.

"Boyfriend?" Sky asked.

"Yeah," Musa said slowly, looking at the prince as thought he'd gone mad. "Boyfriend. You know, someone we love as more than a friend and is a guy?"

"Right," sky replied quickly. "I knew that."

"I wonder how they're doing, you know?" Musa asked quietly. "The guys must be worried out of their minds looking for us…"

Tecna hummed in agreement.

Riven opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when Flora, Stella, Layla, Helia, and Brandon appeared in front of them.

"Did everything go as planned?" Tecna asked as the three fairies dispelled their Believix Transformations.

"Piece of cake," Stella winked.

"We won't be hearing from that guy anytime soon," Layla assured her friends.

"Can we just get this over with?" Riven asked.

"Rude much?" Stella glared at the magenta-haired Specialist. She turned to Musa. "Seriously, I don't know why you _had _to like—"

"Raiden," Musa said quickly, cutting the sun fairy off.

"What?" Stella asked.

"_Raiden_," Musa stressed. "You know, my _boyfriend_?"

"But I thought—" Stella began, only to stop when Layla elbowed her in the side and gave the Specialists a fleeting glance that only Timmy, Riven, and Helia caught.

The three narrowed their eyes slightly.

"So all three of you are taken, then?" Brandon asked.

"Is that a crime?" Tecna retorted as they walked on.

"No," Brandon answered. "Just wondering."

There was silence for a moment.

"So what are their names?" Sky asked. "Your boyfriends?"

"Skylar," Bloom answered.

"Raiden," Musa replied.

"Hunter," Flora said quickly.

"Blake," Stella told them.

"Thomas," Tecna said.

"I'm single," Layla replied.

"But not for long~" Stella sang. "That hunk from tides definitely had his eye on you~"

"Shut up, Stella," Layla muttered, flushing lightly.

"If we take another turn up ahead, there should be a passage leading us straight into the dungeons," Tecna spoke up before the boys could ask anything else.

"So we free Ms. Griffin," Stella said. "But then what? We don't even know where in Cloud Tower Valtor is!"

"The last time he was here," Flora reminded them, "Valtor was in the headmistress' office. He _could_ be there again."

"That's true…" Layla muttered. "But you have to remember that he might be expecting us. If he's really in the headmistress' office, then he'll have access to all of Ms. Griffin's stuff, including the security system."

"We'll just have to do our best to avoid detection," Tecna said as they continued on.

It wasn't long before they reached a wall made of greyish-green stone bricks. "This should be it," Tecna said. "There should be an opening in this wall to activate the door to the dungeons."

And with that, the entire group began to run their hands all over the wall, until Helia pressed on a loose brick.

"I think—" Helia began before the wall disappeared. "—I found it."

"Go quickly," Tecna warned them. "The wall won't be gone for long."

And with that, the group stepped into the dungeons of Cloud Tower.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	23. 22- Freeing Griffin

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Sorry for not updating in a while, but I was busy with family matters and other personal stuff. So I spent a while writing a couple chapters and uploading them together as a sort-of "I'm sorry". This chapter is short as is another that I believe should be after this, but there will be a longer one coming up soon enough.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Freeing Griffin~Oo**

"Ms. Griffin has to be in here somewhere," Bloom muttered under her breath as she and the girls looked for the door they'd seen in the globe.

"Hey I found it!" Musa called over to everyone, standing in front of a heavily warded door.

"It's protected by dark magic," Tecna observed.

"Real dark magic," Flora added as she ran her hands over the door.

"Then our fairy dust should do the trick," Stella suggested. "Since dark spells are helpless against it, if we all use our fairy dust on the door, then we should be able to get in!"

"I'm impressed, Stella," Tecna giggled. "You figured all that out and without my help."

"Hey!" the sun fairy exclaimed in indignation. "I take offense to that! I can be smart when I want to be!"

"We know, Stella," Bloom chuckled. "But still, you have to admit, fashion's more of your forte."

"Of course, dawling," Stella said, flipping her hair. "If it wasn't we'd be stuck looking like a bunch of ragdolls!"

The girls laughed before turning to the door that Ms. Griffin was hidden behind.

"Let's go: Enchantix!" the six chorused.

In a matter of seconds, six Enchantix fairies stood before the five Specialists, who looked on at the girls in awe.

They watched as the six fairies shot balls of fairy dust at the door. With each burst of fairy dust that hit the door, another rune or two would disappear. It wasn't until another fifteen minutes or so that all the runes around and on the door had disappeared, thus cancelling out all the dark magic on and around that cell.

"Done," Bloom panted as she and the rest of the girls dissolved their transformations.

"All that's left is to pry open the lock on the door and we should be in," Tecna said tiredly.

"Leave _that_ to us," Timmy told the girls. "You girls have been using magic almost non-stop lately and you really need to rest. So just leave the rest to us and try to save your reserves for when we really need magic."

The girls looked at one another before nodding in consent.

"Sky, Brandon and I can go inside to get Griffin out," Timmy announced. "Helia and Riven, you stay our here on lookout duty." He leaned in so that the girls wouldn't be able to hear his next words. "And because the girls are tired, just do your best to protect them if anything happens."

Riven and Helia nodded and watched as the three Specialists walked into the cell.

**_Winx~Club_**

"They were right," Sky said when he, Timmy, and Brandon saw an unconscious and chained Ms. Griffin in the cell.

Timmy stepped forward and took a look at the chains Girffin was cuffed to. "Sky, can you and Brandon cut these chains? I'll try to get the cuffs off; they look like magic inhibitor cuffs from the look of them…"

Brandon and Sky shrugged before doing as Timmy asked and hacked away at the chains binding Griffin to the wall. Once loose, Timmy set to picking the locks on the cuffs around Griffin's wrists.

Suddenly, they hear an explosion outside of the cell.

"That can't be good," Brandon commented.

"Way to state the obvious," Sky grumbled at his friend, while looking towards the doorway in worry.

**_Winx~Club_**

"I hope they're quick about getting Ms. Griffin out of there," Stella murmured. "This place gives me the creeps!"

"Deal with it," Riven grunted. "It's a school for witches, fairies aren't supposed to be here."

"I don't think it'll be easy to get Griffin out, Stella," Musa told the sun fairy, ignoring Riven. "If Valtor's here, then he wouldn't make it easy to get her out of here."

"And what about the Cloud Tower witches?" Layla asked. "Should we leave them here for Valtor to turn them into zombies again?"

"Too late for that," a voice chuckled.

The girls turned around to find themselves face to face with the zombified Trix.

"Didn't we see that the witches were fine?" Flora whispered.

"Maybe Valtor got to them after we left," Bloom replied quietly.

Icy's lips opened to peak, but it wasn't her voice that came out of her mouth. "What have we here? A few fairies from Alfea and their boy toys," Valtor's voice mocked.

The girls said nothing as Riven and Helia stood in front of the Winx.

"Do you really think you can stop me?" Valtor's voice chuckled as he manipulated Icy's powers to throw an icicle barrage at the group of eight.

Helia and Riven were able to fend the icicles, but they didn't anticipate was the follow-up of large ice spears shooting towards them.

The group of eight closed their eyes and waited for the ice spears to make contact with them, but was surprised to feel nothing.

A dull thudding noise was heard, causing the group to look up. They saw a greenish-yellow barrier around them all, protecting them from the ice spears. It was the impact the spears made on the barrier that was causing the noise they'd heard.

"Took you guys long enough!" Riven gritted out at his friends when he saw the three Specialists standing there with the now free Professor Griffin, who was maintaining the barrier around them.

Sky and Brandon just grinned cheekily while Timmy rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"I won't be able to hold them off for much longer," Griffin warned. "May barrier won't hold."

"Then can you get us out of here?" Layla asked.

Griffin glanced at the princess of Andros and nodded.

"Then can you get us outside of the castle?" Stella asked. "Like, now?"

Griffin's eyebrow twitched for a moment before she began chanting a spell. The barrier she'd cast around them started to wrap around the group, creating a large bubble.

"Think of where you want to go and keep your mind on that location!" Griffin ordered.

The Winx and Specialists glanced at each other before nodding discreetly and closed their eyes, a destination clearly depicted within their minds.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Something is going on at Cloud Tower," Faragonda narrowed her eyes at the school for witches.

"Do you think Griffin could have something to do with it?" Saladin asked seriously.

"I don't think so," Faragonda said slowly. "Don't you think it's a little odd that Griffin decided to retire now, and without informing us first? Not only that, but we know that she loves that school and her students; she wouldn't just leave them without a very good reason."

"That Rótlàv fellow," the headmaster of Red Fountain mused. "There's something…off about him. I just can't put my finger on why."

Just then, Wizgiz burst into the room. "Headmistress! Headmaster! Something's happened at Cloud Tower!"

"What do you mean?" Saladin asked urgently, rising from his seat as Faragonda had.

Wizgiz hopped over to the window in the Headmistress' office and pointed to just above the Cloud Tower Castle, where Valtor's symbol glowed clear as day.

Horror dawned on the faces of both school heads.

"He shouldn't be here," Faragonda whispered.

"But he is," Saladin glared at the symbol. "But the question is: How? He was sentenced to eternity in the Omega Dimension by Miriam and Oritel themselves!"

Faragonda was about to reply, but was cut off by a little ball of light appearing in the centre of her office.

Both school heads turned and watched as the ball grew larger and larger until it disappeared, revealing Headmistress Griffin.

"Griffin?" Faragonda said shocked. "How are you here?"

"It's simple," Griffin told them. "_Valtor_ managed to get into my school, lock me in the dungeons, and took over my school and students."

"But how did he get out of the Omega Dimension?" Saladin asked.

"I don't know," Griffin replied. "He wouldn't say anything and I can't figure out how anyone could escape the ice prisons of the Omega Dimension anyway."

"How did you escape?" Faragonda asked.

"Six of your fairies," Griffin told Faragonda before turning to Saladin, "and five of your Specialists snuck into Cloud Tower through the tunnels running beneath the school. They freed me from the prison that _thing_ put me in."

Faragonda and Saladin stood up straighter at the mention of how saved the Headmistress of Cloud Tower.

"Where are they?" Faragonda asked at the same time as Saladin who'd asked, "How are they?"

"I don't know where they've gone," Griffin answered Faragonda. "The transportation spell I used can only take a person to the destination _they_ choose. I assumed they had a different destination in mind." Here she turned to Saladin. "They are all fine, though the girls looked a bit weak, but that is understandable. The amount of fairy dust they used to dispel the dark magic on the cell I was in wasn't small by any means."

Saladin slumped in a chair with relief that his boys were all right.

Faragonda, however, narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you mean the girls used fairy dust to free you?"

Griffin gave Faragonda an odd look before answering. "It's just as I said. The girls used the fairy dust they accessed through their Enchantix to dispel the dark magic on my cell and free me."

"That shouldn't be possible," Faragonda muttered. She saw Griffin raise an eyebrow in question. "Those girls, as much as it pains me to say this, aren't the most powerful fairies in Alfea. They have magic, yes, and intelligence, but they aren't as strong magically as the rest of the students. They only just received their Charmix at the end of last year. It shouldn't have been possible for them to advance to the Enchantix level; and certainly not without making a great sacrifice."

"Then I don't know what is going on with your girls, Faragonda," Girffin told the headmistress of Alfea. "I've told you my side of the story, but if I may, there seems to be more to those girls than even _you_ know."

"I know," Faragonda nodded. _'But I can't help but wonder: Just what and how much are those girls hiding? And for how long?'_

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	24. 23- Tracking

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This won't be a very long chapter, mainly because of how I'm planning things, but just bear with me for a bit! There should be a longer chapter coming up soon, if my notes are correct.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Tracking~Oo**

-Winx Dimension; Gardenia Beach-

"Just how much longer is this going to take!" Riven burst out, tossing a stone into the ocean with a little more force than necessary.

It had been over two months since the girls had disappeared.

Two months since Helia and Brandon had managed to find the spell that Icy, Darsi, and Stormy had used on the Winx in the Cloud Tower library.

"The spell those witches used on the girls isn't an easy one to reverse, Riven," Timmy put a hand on the magenta-haired Specialist's shoulder. "We're just as worried about the girls as you are, but you have to remember, Headmistress Faragonda told us that reversing a spell like that would take a while and even she didn't know how long it would take."

"We know, Timmy," Brandon said, tossing another stone into the ocean. "We remember. But that doesn't make us any less worried about them."

"I just wish there was a way we could talk to them, see how they are," Helia said, looking out into the horizon, watching the sun slowly dip beneath it.

The four Specialists sat down on the sand, the waves lapping at their feet, wondering, thinking, worrying…

* * *

-Eraklyon; Sky's Room-

Meanwhile at the palace of Eraklyon, Sky was pacing all over his room, somehow miraculously managing to not wear grooves into the floor.

"It's been two months since they disappeared," Sky whispered as he looked out of a window. He rested his forehead on the cool glass. "Since Bloom disappeared."

The blonde prince slumped down onto his bed and rested his head in his hands. "There's so much I wish I wanted to say. So much I wanted to do." A tear ran down his cheek. "I lost so much time because of that fight and Diaspro. And then there was my amnesia. I lost so much time with my princess…and I never got the chance to make it up to her…"

Suddenly the sound of a ringtone filled the room.

Sky looked up and headed over to where his cell phone lay on his desk and picked it up. "Hello?"

_"Sky!"_ Came Brandon's voice.

"Brandon?" Sky asked. "Is something wrong? Did you find out anything about the girls?"

_"Calm down, buddy,"_ Brandon told his friend. _"No, nothing's wrong, and no we haven't found out anything about the girls."_

"Then why are you calling," Sky grunted.

_"Look, dude,"_ Brandon said, _"we're _all _worried about the girls. It's not just you, okay?"_

Sky took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it. "You're right, sorry about that. So what's up?"

_"The sky,"_ Brandon deadpanned. _"No but seriously, Timmy thinks he's found a way to talk to the girls!"_

This got Sky's attention. "Seriously? But how?"

_"It's Timmy,"_ Brandon said as though it explained everything. _"Anyway, we're going to try and get in contact with them in a couple hours. Think you can make it?"_

Sky looked at the doors to his room and remembered that there was one more thing that needed to be done before his duties were done for the day. But he figured that that task could wait. "I'll be there," he answered.

* * *

-Gardenia Beach; Three Hours Later-

"Am I late?" Sky asked as he ran over to his friends who were sitting at a table situated outside of the Fruitti Music Bar.

"Actually," Brandon blinked down at his watch in surprise, "you're right on time."

"Surprisingly, it's Timmy that we're waiting on," Helia told Sky. "He said that there were a few extra things he needed to fix up before coming."

"Hey, guys!" Timmy shouted, running over to his friends and placing a small box on the table.

"So what did you have to show us?" Sky asked.

Timmy opened the box and took out what looked like a tiny computer (about the size of a Nintendo DS XL) and five patches with wires running through them.

"Do you guys remember how I found Tecna when was sent to the Omega Diemnsion through the portal on Andros?" Timmy asked.

The guys all nodded in reply.

"Well, this is going to work the same way," Timmy told them. "The patches are going to be placed on our hands and will connect to this mini-computer. I enlisted the aid of Professor Saladin for a little magical backing so the device could search for the girls no matter how far."

"So what are the patches for," Riven asked.

"Like the suit I made to find Tecna, the patches act the same way," Timmy explained. "We need to think about the girls and how much we care about them and want them back safely for this to work and start tracking them. Once the signal locks onto where the girls are, we'll be able to talk to them."

"Are you sure this'll work?" Brandon eyed the patches and the small computer suspiciously.

"It's our only chance," Timmy told them.

The boys all looked at each other before nodding and taking a patch and sticking it on the backs of their hands before hooking the connected wires to the mini-computer.

_'I hope this works,'_ Timmy thought as he switched on the device.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	25. 24- Discussions

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: The last two were short, so this is the longer one, I think…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Discussions~Oo**

-Resort Realm-

"That was a close one," Musa sighed, slumping into a seat beside Bloom and Flora.

"So Valtor's taken control of the witches," Brandon commented. "What are we going to do now? Griffin's free and she's probably at Alfea, telling Saladin and Faragonda about what happened and what we did."

"First we're going to rest up," Tecna said in a tone that allowed no room for argument. "We can plan out everything tomorrow or even the day after. But we all need time to rest; we've been doing all this nearly nonstop and it's taking a toll on us."

The groups nodded and made their ways into the rooms they were sharing; the girls in one large room and the Specialists in another.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Man I'm bushed," Brandon said plopping face-down onto a bed.

"We all are," Sky pointed. "We've been helping the girls nonstop since finding them."

"Why are we still with them anyway?" Riven asked gruffly. "Our mission was to find the girls, and we did, so why the heck are we still sticking around 'em?"

"Because they know more about the situation than anyone else," Helia replied from his bed. "Those girls are probably the only things standing between Valtor and the destruction of the entire Magical Dimension."

"But I still don't get something," Timmy shook his head. "Those girls knew more than anyone else about everything that's been going on. Sometimes, they knew things before they even happened, while at other times they knew things no one else did. Remember what happened in the Obsidian? Everyone thought the king and Queen of Sparx were gone for good, but the girls knew that they were there. How? The girls knew about Darkar and about Valtor and the Wizards of the Black Circle. How?"

"He has a point," Sky admitted. "They don't seem to be the girls we've been hearing so much about."

"But the question is: What changed?" Helia asked. "How could they change so much in such a short time?"

"And there's the matter of their fairy forms," Timmy chimed in. The other Specialists looked at him oddly. "I've done a little research on the fairy forms we've seen on the girls."

"I heard that they earned their Charmix at end of last year," Brandon commented.

Timmy nodded and pulled out a palm-size mini-computer. "The Charmix is the second stage of a fairy's evolution to becoming a full-fledged fairy. It's apparently received once the fairy gets in touch with her 'inner selves'." A little hologram of the girls in their Charmix forms was shown.

"'Inner selves'?" Sky asked skeptically.

"It might mean being honest to themselves and to others," Helia suggested.

The guys thought for a moment before nodding and accepting the suggestion, since they really didn't have any other ideas as to what the phrase could mean.

"After the Charmix stage is the Enchantix," Timmy continued. The holographic image changed to one of the girls in their Enchantix forms "This form is earned by fairies after an act of great sacrifice by saving someone from their realm. It's supposed to be the form of full-fledged fairies."

"What kind of sacrifice are we talking?" Riven asked slowly.

"The kind where the fairy would give their lives up for the one they'd be saving," Timmy replied.

"Wait," Sky said, making the others look at him. He turned to Timmy. "You said that in order for a fairy to get their Enchantix, she needs to save someone from _her realm_. Bloom had her Enchantix before even reviving Sparx! So how was she able to earn her Enchantix?"

This stumped the boys. What Sky had said was true, if the information Timmy had was right (and it usually was). How coul Bloom have earned her Enchantix when she had no one from her realm to save? Was there another way to become an Enchantix fairy that no one knows about?

"I don't know," Timmy shook his head. The hologram then shifted to show an image of the girls in their Believix forms. "The next level a fairy can reach, if they fulfill the requirements, is the Believix stage. Not many fairies reach this stage because in order to do it, a fairy needs to prove they can make people believe in magic. With it comes two other sub-forms known as the Sophix and the Lovix. The Sophix allows them to have control over nature itself to a degree that most nature fairies can't control, while the Lovix enables them to survive harsh icy conditions."

"When would the girls have done that?" Helia asked. "From the looks of it, the girls seem to have had their Believix for quite a while now."

"Moving on," Timmy coughed as the image shifted to the girls in their Sirenix form. "This is the Sirenix form. It's supposed to be an ancient power that allows fairies to use their powers properly underwater. But the thing is that a fairy can't reach this stage without completing the Sirenix Trials with another form called the Harmonix. We've seen the girls in their Sirenix, so we can safely say that the girls passed the Trials using their Harmonix forms."

"Is this a form that most fairies go on to earn?" Brandon asked.

Timmy shook his head. "Like the Believix, not many fairies earn this. And even then, it's rare to find any fairy that's willing to go beyond the Enchantix level."

"Unless they had a reason," Riven pointed out. "Think about it. If the Enchantix is where a fairy becomes a full-fledged fairy, why would those girls want to more onto more powerful forms if there wasn't a reason?"

"Riven's right," Helia commented. _'Never thought I'd say that…' _"Did something else happen to make the girls advance with their magic?"

"Wait a second," Brandon interjected. "We're all just assuming that the girls went through all of these forms between the time they got their Charmix and now. That can't be right. Getting the Enchantix would take a while since a fairy would never know when their life will be on the line. Getting the Believix can't be easy either; it takes more than just a day or two to get a whole bunch of people to believe in magic. Then there's the Sirenix; if what I'm reading here is right, then a fairy doesn't get a Sirenix Trial every day. Instead, the Trials come every other day or so and have a time limit; that alone would take a while to do. So my question is: When did the girls do all this?"

"We _could_ ask," Helia suggested. "They may not tell us everything we want to know—"

"Then we'll just make 'em!" Riven growled.

"—but at least we might find out a little more about what's going on," Helia finished as though Riven had never interrupted him.

"I just realized something," Sky's eyes widened. "The girls have been making comments like 'the last time' and stuff like that. The way they said it almost sounded like they already did everything that we've been doing."

"Come to think of it," Timmy mused. "You're right. I just thought I must have heard wrong or something at the time."

"That's it!" Riven jumped off his bed and walked out the door with the guys following him. "I'm going to get my answers so if you want to come you can otherwise, just shut up!"

The boys looked at each other and shrugged before following after the magenta-haired Specialist.

They stopped before the door to the girls' room, Riven's hand raised to knock when they heard bits and pieces of conversation from inside.

The Specialists all looked at Timmy. The orange-haired Specialists sighed and took out his palm-computer and took out what looked like a small clear patch. He peeled the backing off and stuck it to the bottom of the door before gesturing for them all to go back into their room.

The boys all sat in a circle with the palm-computer in the centre, a hologram of static hovering over the screen.

They Specialists watched as the static was gone to be replaced with sound waves and it wasn't long before they began to hear the girls' voices.

* * *

"We need to figure out what we're going to do next," Bloom said to all her friends from her bed. "Valtor's definitely at Cloud Tower and I think he's planning on attacking Alfea soon. Ms. Faragonda's there and so is Professor Saladin and I bet that Professor Griffin went there after we left Cloud Tower."

"Alfea has already been attacked once," Tecna announced as she typed away on her computer. Her eyebrows rose as she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on the door and sensed a small piece of technology on the other side.

Quickly, Tecna typed a quick message and held it out for her friends to see.

**_We have eavesdroppers. We can keep talking; just don't give away anything specific._**

"Who?" Flora asked.

"Icy, Darsi, and Stormy," Tecna answered. "Our barrier held up against the witches, but they left very suddenly. I don't know why, though."

"When did the Trix attack?" Musa asked.

Tecna punched a couple more buttons on her computer before looking up. "Earlier today when we were taking out Darkar and getting Ms. Griffin out of Cloud Tower."

"Do you think the witches left because Darkar was gone?" Stella asked.

"That's just what might have happened," Layla mused. "Darkar gave Icy, Darsi, and Stormy their Gloomix, so it only makes sense that if he's gone, so is the power that he gave them. They must have gone back to Cloud Tower when they noticed their Gloomix were gone."

"So what do we do now?" Flora asked.

"We're much too weak to do anything at the moment," Tecna told them. "Our magic levels are severely low because of how much we've been using them."

"So we just hang out here for a bit, then?" Musa asked.

Tecna hummed a 'yes' in answer.

"About two days should give us and the boys a sufficient amount of time to rejuvenate our strength," Tecna advised.

"What about Alfea?" Stella asked worriedly. "What if Valtor decides to attack while we're on vacation?"

"The barrier," Bloom reminded them. "The barrier we made around Alfea is charged with our Sirenix powers. I think it should hold Valtor back long enough for us to rest up."

The girls all turned to the fairy of technology, hoping that what the fiery-haired princess said was true.

Tecna nodded. "If all goes according to as it should, Valtor shouldn't be able to get into or harm Alfea. The barrier should be able to hold him off for at least a bit."

"But?" Flora asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But there is a small chance that if the barrier were put under enough stress and dark magic, it could give way," Tecna said quickly, wincing all the while.

"Man," Musa huffed. "We got ourselves into a huge _mess_. First the witches curse us into this place and now we're getting rid of every single evil dude we've faced so far."

"I miss _our_ home," Flora said quietly.

"Our families must be really worried about us," Layla commented quietly.

"Mom and Dad don't get along well enough as it is," Stella groaned. "Me disappearing like that is just going to make things even worse between them!"

"Ms. F must be pretty worried, too," Bloom said quietly.

"And the guys," Tecna added.

"Maybe your boyfriends are worried about you," Flora sighed. "But mine probably isn't."

"Flora," the girls whispered.

"No way," Stella comforted the nature fairy. "_Hunter's_ definitely got to be worried out of his mind."

"At least that's more than can be said about _R…aiden_," Musa said. "I mean, he just leaves when I was talking about how I loved watching the whale of Melody with my mom to go with some girl!"

"Just don't think about it and you'll be fine," Bloom assured the fairy of music. "You and _Raiden_ had your rough moments, but I know he cares about you. The same for you, Flora; _Hunter_ loves you, I know he does. Maybe he's just spending time with Krystal because they're old friends."

"That doesn't explain why he won't talk to me," Flora shook her head. "I don't mean to sound obsessive or clingy, but I haven't heard as much from him since _Krys…sie_ showed up. And he introduced me as his 'friend'. Not girlfriend, but just a friend! We've been together for three years and…" She sighed and turned away.

"I felt a lot like you are now, Flora," Bloom said, going over to lie down next to the nature fairy. "When _Skylar_ turned away from me because of _D…iana's_ meddling and his father, I thought we were done for good. But then he managed to sneak out from under Diana's thumb and we made up. I know it sounds really simple, but you all saw how miserable I was. It's not easy dealing with being ignored by the ones you love."

"My Schnookums must be so worried," Stella whimpered. "I really miss him.

"Remember a few weeks ago when you found that amulet that turned you into a three-year-old?" Flora giggled. "You were absolutely adorable, but _Blake_ just didn't know what to do!"

"But he stayed by me like a good boyfriend should, didn't he?" Stella giggled.

Layla sighed and looked away.

"Layla?" Stella asked. "Are you thinking about…?"

"Yeah," Layla whispered. "I miss him so much. And I think I'm starting to like Roy, but I just don't know… I feel like I'm betraying Nabu!"

"Sweetie, no one would look at you differently if you started to like someone else," Flora hugged the distressed fairy along with the rest of the Winx. "Nabu would want you to be _happy_. That's all he ever wanted; your happiness and safety above all. He loved you and even if you find someone else, he'll always be in your heart and in your memories. No one can take that away from you, Sweetie."

Layla wiped away the tears that had fallen during Flora's piece and smiled at the nature fairy. "Thanks, you guys."

Layla looked at Flora for a moment before chuckling.

"What?" Flora blinked.

"I remember when you had that huge crush on _Hunter_," Layla said in amusement. "You were so scared of telling him how you felt that I had to sneak into his room to find evidence of him liking you!"

"And then there were also those missed opportunities…" Bloom wiggled her eyebrows.

"But we still ended up together," Flora huffed, blushing.

"We all ended up with someone at some point," Stella pointed out.

"Though it took all of us and our boyfriends to push you and _T…homas_ into going out on an actual date, Tec," Musa snickered.

Tecna just blushed and harrumphed.

"I remember when _Skylar_ first told me he loved me," Bloom said with a wistful smile on her lips.

"That was totally sweet and romantic," Stella gushed. "In a creep roundabout way…"

"I _was_ under a dark spell, so I don't think anyone expected it," Bloom reminded them. "And I get the feeling that he probably wanted to say it when we were alone. But you know something? When I was under that spell, I felt like I was being suffocated. I felt like my body wasn't mine anymore and was just watching what happened around me as my body acted on its own. But then _Sky…lar_ told me he loved me…and I just knew that I needed to get out and go back to him and all of you."

Layla snickered suddenly.

The girls looked over at her with odd looks on their faces.

It was Musa that decided to ask the question. "What's up?"

"I remember when Stella, Bloom, _Skylar_, _Blake_, and I went down into the Underrealm and ended up in Downland!" Layla chuckled.

Stella huffed. "Don't even bother talking about that place! Not only was out time down there the WORST, but that _Queen Amentia_ decided to take my beau as hers!"

Bloom laughed as Flora, Musa, and Tecna threw the blonde confused looks.

"Come to think of it," Flora commented. "We never _did_ hear the entire story about in Downland…"

Stella just huffed and turned away as Layla and Bloom told the story of how Queen Amentia had taken them all prisoner and decided to take _Blake_ as her husband, her plan only failing because of Amore's interference.

By the end of the story, the girls, including Stella all had a good laugh.

Tecna opened her mouth to say something, but a tiny snore interrupted her. Looking towards the source, the girls found their pixies in a sleeping heap, tired from playing around, most likely.

"They've been so brave while we've been here," Flora smiled gently as she took Chatta into her arms and tucked her into her bed.

"They've been really helpful, too," Tecna reminded them. "Without our Pixies, we wouldn't have known how things were in this place."

"But I think I'm more thankful that we have them here as a reminder of our home," Bloom smiled as the girls all slipped into bed with their pixies sleeping right beside them.

The Winx all bade each other good night and with a snap of Stella's fingers, the girls drifted off into the land of dreams.

* * *

Back with the Specialists, the boys were just sitting around the palm-computer with pensieve looks on their faces.

"That was _very_ helpful," Riven sneered as he went to sit on his bed.

"Actually it kind of was," Helia mused from his bed, still deep in thought. "Did you notice how the girls put an emphasis on their boyfriend's names and how they paused at the names they mentioned?"

Each of the Specialists thought back to the conversation and realized that Helia was right; the girls _had_ put an emphasis on their boyfriend's names, but what was most suspicious was when they paused at every name they said.

"You're right," Sky muttered. "It almost sounded like the girls wanted to say some other name…"

"Do you think they knew that we were listening to them?" Brandon asked.

"There's no way," Timmy shook his head. "Those patches should be practically undetectable."

"But Tecna's a fairy of technology," Sky pointed out. "It's possible she might have picked up on it and told the other girls."

"Am I the only one that caught them saying that they were cursed by witches into some place?" Riven asked.

"No," Helia nodded. "You're not the only one that caught that, but I wonder what they meant…"

"Well we can't wonder about that now," Brandon commented, jutting his thumb towards the window where the moon was high in the sky. "We need to get to sleep or the girls'll get suspicious."

The rest of the Specialists agreed and tucked themselves into their respective beds, falling asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	26. 25- Communication

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This isn't very long, so I wouldn't get my hopes up about this one and possibly the next one as well. The one after, I think might be a longer one.

Ah yes, and before I forget, there is one other thing. Okay, first I'm glad that so many like this story, but I have one small request: whenever it's an anonymous reviewer sending in something, can you guys just put some random penname in instead of just 'guest'? I'm a bit of a neat freak and I like to be able to differentiate between reviewers, and having a couple continuing to review as 'guest' gets quite confusing sometimes. I really don't care if it's something random like "shakalakaboomboom" or something, but so long as there's a name of some sort.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Communication~Oo**

-Alfea-

Headmistress Faragonda, Headmaster Saladin, and Headmistress Griffin stood outside of the school for fairies, looking at the building with slight suspicion.

"I don't see a barrier around the school," Griffin commented. "Are you sure the both of you saw correctly?"

"We assure you," Saladin told the violet-haired headmistress, "When those three witches of yours attacked, a barrier went up around the school."

"Then where is it now?" Griffin asked. "A barrier of that caliber should be visible to all magical beings!"

"Unless there are certain circumstances to be fulfilled for the barrier to activate," Faragonda broke in.

"What do you mean?" Saladin asked curiously.

"You know as well as I do, Saladin," Faragonda explained, "that the Magical Barrier just beyond the forest is invisible to all, but only lets through _magical_ beings and those aware of true magic. When a non-magical being tries to cross the barrier, they will hit it, but they may or may not see it unless a spell reveals it."

(AN: When Faragonda says 'True Magic', what this means is actual magic in realms and such. Not the kind of magic one would read about in a fairytale and believe that it's fake.)

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," Saladin nodded slowly.

Faragonda nodded as well. "I believe that the barrier around Alfea is still up, but like the Magical Barrier, it will only activate under certain conditions. In this case, anyone with evil intent will not be allowed through or allowed to harm the school and those within it."

Griffin nodded in understanding. "That seems to make sense, but you're forgetting something."

"And what would that be?" Faragonda asked.

"The spell for a barrier like this would need anchors or it wouldn't last more than a day or two," Griffin told the other two school heads. "The Magical Barrier is anchored to the land around Alfea, Cloud Tower, and Red Fountain. So where are the anchors for this barrier?"

"There is also something else," Saladin spoke up.

The two headmistresses looked at the headmaster curiously. "What is it?" Griffin asked.

"The magic used to fuel the barrier," Saladin explained, "it can't be any ordinary power. Just what kind of magic was used to create it? A normal barrier wouldn't be able to dissolve magic when it comes in contact with it."

"That is a good question, with a simple answer," Faragonda replied. She waved her hands once and chanted an incantation. Lime-green sparks shot out of her hands and covered the school, revealing the barrier to the eyes of the three school heads.

Then the headmistress of Alfea snapped her fingers twice and the sparks disappeared, once again leaving the barrier out of sight as the magic returned to her hands.

"Well?" Saladin asked.

Faragonda hummed as she felt the magic before her eyes widened in surprise. "This barrier was created with very strong magic," she said in awe.

"Stronger than any of your fairies here?" Griffin asked.

"The magic used to create and fuel this barrier is much more powerful than the magic my girls' Enchantix form grants them," Faragonda told them.

"But who would have magic that powerful?" Saladin asked.

"And why would they create a barrier to protect your school?" Griffin muttered, eyeing the area where the barrier had appeared.

Faragonda thought back to the six girls that had run off and their trial in the Magical Reality Chamber. She remembered how their use of their Charmix powers were too practiced for having just gotten them. "I wonder…"

* * *

-Resort Realm-

The girls laughed and chatted as they relaxed on the beach in front of Stella's family villa, their pixies playing in the sand. The Specialists were out in the ocean swimming, surfing, and doing just about whatever they could to stay away from the girls to avoid causing any suspicion.

"I found _this_ underneath our door today," Tecna said, holding up a small clear patch.

"What is it?" Bloom asked, peering closely at what looked like a sticky piece of plastic.

"It just looks like some weird bandage to me," Stella shrugged as she and the other girls, also eyed the little thing in Tecna's fingers.

"It looks like an ordinary patch," Tecna explained, "but it's got a multitude of microscopic technology running through it. I remember because Timmy showed it to me once; he told me that this device allowed anyone to listen to another's conversations and all that from a mini-computer at any distance away from the patch."

"So the guys were listening to us last night," Musa stated.

Tecna nodded. "I had my suspicions, but I wasn't sure if it was them or not. It's why I told you guys not to say anything specific when we were talking."

"It's not on, is it?" Flora asked.

The fairy of technology shook her head. "I deactivated it as soon as I found it, and I also put up a digital barrier up around our room so that any devices used to spy on us will be rendered powerless. The boys won't be listening to anything we say for a while now."

**_Winx~Club_**

"I just don't get it," Timmy said as sat atop a boulder, fiddling with his palm-computer. "What happened? It was working fine this morning and now the signal's lost!"

"What's up?" Brandon asked as he toweled his hair dry.

"The patch I used so we could listen to the girls isn't transmitting a signal anymore!" Timmy exclaimed quietly so the girls wouldn't hear. "It's somehow lost power!"

"Do you know how that could have happened?" Helia asked, sitting down next to the orange-haired Specialist.

Timmy shook his head. "It makes no sense. My calculations were correct and the frequency couldn't be the problem…"

Brandon hummed as he looked over at the girls, who sat in a huddle, talking about who knows what. "Could that thing be affected by magic?"

"Huh?" Timmy lifted his head to look at the brunette. "What are you talking about?"

"Can your little patch thing be disturbed by magic?" Brandon repeated.

Timmy thought for a moment. "I guess it could. I mean, I never tested it with magic or anything, but I guess magic could have a negative effect on it, depending on what kind it is."

"Maybe Tecna found a way to deactivate it," Helia suggested, catching onto Brandon's line of thought.

"Maybe…" Timmy muttered.

**_Winx~Club_**

The Pixies were playing in the sand by creating a small sand kingdom, big enough for them to play in.

"Done!" Chatta sang out as she put in the last little flag atop a tower on their castle.

"Perfect," Digit nodded as she looked at her digital plans of the kingdom. "All according to plan."

"So who's going to be what?" Amore asked.

"Well," Lockette suggested, "Piff can be the baby princess." The magenta-haired pixie looked over to the sleeping baby pixie and giggled.

The other pixies nodded in agreement.

"I'll be the king!" Chatta waved her hand up in the air.

"How are you supposed to do that?" Digit asked. "You're a girl? It would make much more sense for you to be the Queen. Though, you're not much of a queen in attitude…"

"I can so be king!" Chatta huffed, nose in the air. She waved her hands and used her pixie magic to change her outfit. Soon she was wearing a little king's outfit with some of her hair tucked into a crown and the ends of her pigtails trailing down her face and under her nose, acting like a mustache.

(AN: I know that the Resort Realm doesn't have any magic there, but the girls have much stronger magic that counteracts that rule and the pixies are technically magical creatures, so they don't really fall into the categories of fairies, witches, and wizards.)

"See!" Chatta said.

Digit only held her hands up in surrender.

"Tune can be the Queen," Amore suggested. "She's perfect for the role!"

"Then Amore and I can be castle guards!" Lockette announced.

That's gr—Hey!" Digit looked at her friends. "What am I supposed to be then?"

"You can be the evil witch or wizard that's come to attack us," Tune suggested. "We need a villain."

"But why m—" Digit cut herself off when she heard a beeping sound. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Amore asked.

The beeping sounded again, but louder this time.

"That!" Digit exclaimed.

"I think it's coming from Tecna's bag!" Lockette said as she flew over said object.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Tecna!" Digit called as the pixie of technology zipped over to her fairy.

"What is it, Digit?" the magenta-haired fairy asked.

"Your computer's beeping!" Digit pointed to Tecna's back, over which all the pixies were hovering over.

"Beeping?" Tecna repeated. "Hmmm…I wonder…" She took out her computer and powered it on.

_"Tecna!"_ Timmy shouted as his face as well as the other Specialists' faces from their world appeared in the screen.

"Timmy!" Tecna exclaimed. She turned to her friends. "I can't believe it! The guys have found a way to communicate with us!"

Immediately, the girls all crowded around the small computer and their eyes welled up with tears at the sight of their boyfriends, though Layla was a bit surprised when she found Roy there as well.

"Wait a second," Tecna said. She pushed a few buttons and the image on the screen was rendered into a hologram.

Musa noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Specialists had gotten curious and were walking their way. "Hold up," she said as she waved her hands. A magenta glow outline the girls' bodies and the hologram Tecna's computer produced.

"Okay," Musa nodded. "We can talk now."

_"What was that about?"_ Riven asked.

"I think you all know by now that Icy, Darsi, and Stormy have sent us into another dimension, right?" Tecna asked.

The guys nodded.

"Well, when we came here, the magical discharge that was relseaed from our arrival somehow awoke Darkar, the Wizards of the Black Circle, and Valtor. Not to mention the fact that it somehow tipped the witches off about the Dragon Fire," Tecna explained. "So we've been here fighting them this entire time."

_"That definitely doesn't like good,"_ Brandon whistled.

"It wasn't," Bloom shook her head. "And now, your counterparts here are getting suspicious of us."

_"Suspicious?"_ Sky asked. "Why should they be?"

"Well, first, we're apparently the weakest fairies at Alfea and just earned our Charmix 'last year'," Musa stated dryly.

"Second would be that you're all dating someone else, here," Stella told them.

_"Who?"_ Helia asked.

"Sky's going out with Diaspro," Stella told them, "Helia's with Krystal, Riven's with some witch from Cloud Tower, and Brandon and Timmy are going out with two other fairies from Alfea."

_"What?!"_ their boyfriends shouted in shock.

"Yup," Bloom nodded.

_"Man, that's a real mess,"_ Brandon ran his hand through his hair.

_"So what are our counterparts doing with you anyway?" _Sky asked, hoping he didn't sound too jealous.

"Well," Flora explained, "We ran away from Alfea so the school wouldn't be attacked by the Trix like in Freshman year, but Ms. Faragonda must have panicked, so she convinced Professor Saladin to send your counterparts here after us."

"We couldn't risk them taking us back with them or going back with information about us and what we were doing," Layla continued. "So we kinda took them hostage and after hearing about what we're doing, they started helping us."

"No one here knows that we're form another dimension," Tecna told them. "It's why the boys are suspicious of us; we aren't telling them much and they definitely know that we're hiding something."

_"You girls have been busy,"_ Helia commented.

_"Guys!"_ Timmy said. _"The connection's not going to last much longer!"_

"Look, we're doing all we can to get you girls back and we promise that we'll find a way to bring you back safe and sound," Sky vowed.

"Love you, Schnookums!" Stella whispered.

_"See you, Princess,"_ Brandon winked.

And with that, the screen went blank.

**_Winx~Club_**

"What's going on with the girls?" Sky asked, gesturing to where the girls were all crowding around Tecna's computer.

They all glanced at each other before walking over to the girls when they saw Musa erect a sort of barrier around them, preventing the Specialists from hearing what the Winx were saying.

Riven just grunted and walked away as did the rest of the Specialists, bar Helia. The navy-haired Specialist noticed that the pixies had stopped playing and were watching the girls with sad eyes.

"Do you know what's going on over there?" Helia asked the pixies.

"Their boyfriends found a way to talk to them," Amore replied.

_''Found a way to talk to them'?'_ Helia thought before speaking again. "Why haven't the girls spoken to them before?"

"They couldn't," Lockette said this time. "Something happened and now they're separated."

"How were they separated?" Helia asked.

"The wi—mpmph!" Chatta was about to say before her mouth was covered by Digit's hand.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," Digit replied curtly.

Helia held his hands up in surrender and backed away.

_'Something is definitely off about those girls…'_ the navy-haired Specialist thought.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	27. 26-The Company of Light United Once More

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: This probably isn't very long either…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Company of Light United Once More~Oo**

-Sparx; Royal Palace-

_"Mother! Father!"_ Daphne said urgently as she glided into the throne room.

"What is it, Daphne?" Miriam asked, looking up from her conversation with her husband.

_"You_ must _go to Alfea!"_ the spirit of the first princess of Sparx told her parents.

"The school for fairies?" Oritel asked. "What for?"

_"Valtor has taken over the school for witches and has them all under his control!"_ Daphne reported. _"Faragonda, Griffin, and Saladin are doing all they can, but even they know that they cannot defeat him without help."_

"Faragonda, Griffin, and Saladin?" Oritel asked. "What are doing at a school for fairies?"

_"Faragonda had become the headmistress of Alfea shortly after you all were sealed away in the realm of Obsidian,"_ Daphne explained. _"It was around the same time that Griffin became the headmistress of Cloud Tower, while Saladin became the headmaster of Red Fountain." Her tone became solemn. "However, Red Fountain has fallen and its students have all retreated to Alfea as it was the only safe place left for anyone to go."_

The throne room was silent.

"How strong has Valtor become?" Miriam asked, breaking the silence.

_"He has already absorbed the magic from most if not nearly all of the Magical Dimension,"_ the spirit reported. _"There are a few worlds that have been left untouched, but he will go there soon enough."_

"Then the Company of Light must be assembled once more," Oritel said determinedly.

"But what about Hagen?" Miriam asked her husband. "We don't know where—"

_"Actually, Mother," _Daphne broke in gently. _"We do, or at least I know where Master Hagen is."_

"What?" Oritel sputtered. "Where? _How_?"

Daphne nodded. "_He is currently located in a large fortress on Hoggar. After Sparx had fallen to the Ancestral Witches, he retreated to his castle on the planet, and no one has heard from him since."_

"How do you know so much?" Miriam asked in awe.

_"It isn't my secret to tell,"_ the spirit shook her head. _"But I will say this: Not all is as it seems."_

"What?" Oritel scratched his head in confusion as his wife giggled at his expression.

Daphne chuckled lightly. "_The person who gave me this information is someone special that you should know. All will be revealed when the time is right."_ And with that, the spirit of the firstborn princess of Sparx disappeared.

"We've missed so much," Miriam whispered sadly.

"While we were fighting to what we believed to be our end," Oritel said, "one of my daughters had been cursed into a wandering spirit, and then there is Bloom…our beautiful baby daughter, whose fate is still unknown to us…" He then straightened his back and walked out of the throne room with his wife right behind him.

"It's time the Company of Light be assembled once more!" the king of Sparx announced with fire in his eyes.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Headmistress' Office-

Valtor sat at what he claimed as his desk and watched Alfea through the viewing globe with narrowed eyes.

"That barrier will be a problem," he muttered. "I may be able to take it down, but there is also the chance that destroying it would take too much of my power and leave me vulnerable…" His brow furrowed. "These witches are still learning how to use and control their magic, so they won't be of much use…"

The wizard sat back in his chair with a pensive look on his face. "Bearing my mark has already granted my witches a small power boost, but it certainly won't be powerful enough to take down that barrier, nor are they strong enough to go up against those fairies…"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes moving around the room until it landed on the bookcase, or more specifically, a certain book.

Valtor waved his hand, retrieving said book and started flipping through it when it landed in his hands. It wasn't until a few moments later that he stopped turning pages and a dark smile spread across his lips.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Headmistress!" Griselda called coming into the room.

"Yes?" Faragonda answered. "Is there something wrong?"

"We—Well, they—" The head of discipline stuttered out.

"Take a deep breath and calm down," the headmistress advised.

Griffin and Saladin looked at each other apprehensively; they hadn't missed the look on Griselda's face and if her expression was anything to go by, something had happened.

Griselda did as her headmistress had said and took a deep breath before releasing it, her posture not as tense anymore as it had been when she entered the room.

"You have visitors," Griselda told Faragonda. "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard who they were, but situations like this are not under my authority and—"

"Let them in, Griselda," Faragonda nodded, cutting off the rambling staff member. "It's all right." But despite saying that, the headmistress and the other two school heads adopted neutral expressions.

However, the eyes of all three widened in shock when they saw the trio that had entered the office.

"It can't be!" Griffin whispered.

"They shouldn't even be alive!" Saladin exclaimed.

"How?" Faragonda asked simply.

"I hope you'll excuse the intrusion," Oritel and Miriam bowed/curtsied. "But when we heard of Valtor's deeds here, we couldn't stay back."

Faragonda turned to the elderly man that stood slightly behind the royal couple. "Hagen? Is that you?"

Hagen simply gave a nod in acknowledgement. "And before you ask," he said, "these two truly are the King and Queen of Sparx. I don't know how and I don't know when, but they've returned and Sparx is no longer dead."

"But how?" Saladin asked. "We thought the Royal family was destroyed by the Ancestral Witches!"

"That isn't entirely true," Oritel shook his head. "When the Ancestral Witches attacked, the citizens of Sparx and I were captured and frozen in the realm of Obsidian. My Miriam sealed herself inside mysword and was taken along with us."

"We don't know how," Miriam told them, "But from what we've been told, a group of fairies and heroes were responsible for setting us free."

"A group of fairies and heroes?" the headmistress of Alfea said in shock. "Are you sure?"

Miriam and Oritel nodded.

"What on earth were they thinking?" Saladin burst out. "Going somewhere as dangerous as that!"

Griffin had a pensive look on her face. "Don't you think it's a bit strange, though?" she asked.

Everyone in the office turned to the headmistress of Cloud Tower. "What do you mean, Griffy?" Faragonda asked.

"Those girls and boys went to Obsidian," she elaborated, "but for what reason? Could they have known that Sparx's citizens, King, and Queen were sealed away there? And even if that were true, how could they have known?"

"I think this only shows that there is more to those girls than even _we_ know," Faragonda said.

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"Hey guys!" Bloom called out to her friends and the Specialists. "You'd better get a look at this!"

The girls and boys looked at each other before shrugging and running into the villa where Bloom stood before the magic sphere with a horrified look on her face, leaving the pixies to play on the beach.

"What's up?" Musa asked.

"Do you guys remember when Valtor first came out of the Oemga portal and turned all the mermaids in Andros into those freaky fish creatures?" Bloom asked.

The girls nodded, though the boys looked a bit confused.

Layla sighed before using her magic to show a projected image to the Specialists. "When Valtor used his magic on the mermaids in my realm, he turned them into vicious, mindless slaves to do his bidding." The image of a normal mermaid on Andros shifted to show one mutated by Valtor.

The boys all cringed at the transformation before looking back to Bloom.

"I think you'd better take a look for yourselves," the fiery-haired princess said as she stepped away from the sphere to let the rest of them see what was happening.

The group watched as Valtor stood at the top of the lecture hall at Cloud Tower, chanting with his hands glowing a deep-violet.

The marks on the necks of the witches at Cloud Tower glowed brightly before their bodies began to convulse. The group watched as the witches' skin turned a murky-green, their nails grew into claws, and pupils were turned into slits while irises became blood-red. Faces became elongated while teeth grew longer and sharp, their hair stayed the same but a little wilder, and pointed horns took the place of their ears.

"Ewww!" Stella squealed in disgust while the rest of the girls decided to show their displeasure, rather than be vocal like their friend.

"What the heck are those?" Riven asked in shock while the rest of Specialists cringed at the sight of the mutated witches.

"Valtor's specialty," Bloom said darkly. "Using his mark, he can control any being in any way. Sometimes, he may have them turned into creatures, while at others he'll keep them as they are and have them used as mindless slaves."

"That's gonna take a lot of fairy dust…" Musa trailed off.

"Or we may not even need fairy dust," Tecna said, garnering everyone's attention.

"What do mean?" Sky asked.

"Well, the easiest thing to do would be to use our fairy dust on them, "Tecna explained, "but we also need to remember that as long as Valtor lives, he'll be able to continue to gain the witches back under his control no matter how many times we free them."

"So the best way to end all of this," Brandon said in realization, "is to take out the source; we need to take out Valtor."

"But how should we do that?" Helia asked. "He's already powerful enough as it is, and trying to get back into Cloud Tower may not be such a good idea on our part."

"Well, we won't need to go back into Cloud Tower, first of all," Layla told the Specialists. "We only went there to get Ms. Griffin out."

"And second: Judging by what Valtor's doing," Floraa stated, "I think he's getting ready for a full assault on Alfea."

"Then we need to get there before he does!" Timmy exclaimed.

"That's true, but we also need a plan," Tecna reminded them. "We can't go rushing in without knowing what we should do. The barrier we placed around Alfea will hold, but depending on the amount of dark magic thrown at it and the amount of stress forced onto the barrier will determine how long the barrier will last."

"And I think with an army that big," Stella whispered, "it's not going to last very long."

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Headmistress' Office-

Valtor slumped into the office, stumbling around, trying to use the wall and objects around him for leverage as he made his way to the desk.

The wizard all but collapsed into the seat, panting heavily. He'd used a large chunk of his magic to transform all the witches and staff in Cloud Tower into those beasts that were now under his control.

"I'll…rest…for now," he panted softly, "but tomorrow…Alfea…will fall…"

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	28. 27- The Barrier Falls

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Dunno if this can be considered long, but enjoy the chapter nevertheless!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Barrier Falls~Oo**

-Resort Realm-

"We really can't keep them with us," Flora whispered as she and the girls stopped outside of the boys' room.

Musa nodded. "I know, but what can we do? If we leave them, they'll follow us anyway or insist on coming with us. Or if we send them to Alfea, how do we know they won't blab about us and what we've done?"

Bloom turned to her fireands and gave them a small smile. "I can take care of that. Do you guys remember those bands I conjured for the guys?"

The rest of the Winx nodded.

"Those prevent them from leaving us without my permission or without us," the fiery-haired fairy reminded them, "but since I was the one that conjured them, I can also alter them so that they can't speak about us or what we've done."

"But won't Ms. F get suspicious when she sees those bands?" Stella asked.

Bloom shook her head. "Again, I can take care of that. All you guys need to do is once I adjust their bands, is to send them off to Alfea."

"At the front gates or on the grounds?" Layla asked.

"On the grounds," Bloom told her. "We can't take the chance that Valtor might come at any time and take them."

"What about the pixies?" Tecna asked. "We can't take them along with us."

The girls all stiffened and looked at each other before nodding. "Tecna's right," Flora said. "We can't bring our pixies with us, but maybe we can send them with the guys."

"NO!" Chatta shouted.

The girls turned around and saw the pixies fyling out from behind a large potted plant a little bit away from them.

"Chatta!" The other pixies reprimanded while Piff made disapproving sounds.

"What are—" Layla began.

"We're not leaving you!" Chatta shouted, cutting off the princess of Andros.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," Flora said quietly. "But we can't bring you with us; it'll be way too dangerous! At least at Alfea, you'll be safe."

"We don't care!" Lockette said stubbornly. "We're not leaving you!"

"Lockette…" Bloom trailed off, cradling the little pixie close to her; her friends did the same for their pixies. "We know you want to come with us, but we can't risk you all getting hurt."

"We don't know how powerful Valtor is in this world," Musa told them, "for all we know, he could be even stronger here than he was back in our world. We can't have you all risking yourselves like that."

"At least if you're at Alfea," Stella continued, "we'd know you were safe and wouldn't have to worry."

The pixies still looked determined to go with their bonded fairies.

The Winx sighed and continued to plead and reason with the pixies until the little girls finally gave in and allowed themselves to be carried into the Specialists' room.

"Sirenix!" the girls whispered, feeling the familiar magic weave around them.

"Dreamy Lullaby!" Musa spoke softly as a string of music notes on a staff was conjured by the fairy of music.

The girls watched as the staff broke off into five separate strands and circled the boys' heads, ensuring that the boys' would remain unconscious until they reached Alfea.

Bloom closed her eyes and held her hands out, which glowed a faint orange. The bands on the boys glowed in sync with the fairy's hands before the bands disappeared all together.

The princess of Sparx turned to her friends and gave a nod.

The Pixies flew over the the boys and latched onto them tightly as the remaining members of the Winx Club clasped hands as they closed their eyes and concentrated on the task they were set to do. "Sirenix Convergence!"

A large pulse of magic engulfed the boys, who remained asleep, and within moments were gone from the Winx's sights.

"I feel bad for doing that do them," Flora murmured. "They helped us a lot. They'll be angry when they find out…"

Layla wrapped an arm around the nature fairy's shoulders. "Everything will be okay, Flora," the princess of Andros told her friend. "Besides, what's more important, the lives of just five guys, or the balance of the entire Magical Dimension?"

Flora sighed and nodded in understanding. "I know, but that won't stop me from feeling guilty…"

"Flora, when everything's over, if we're given a chance, we can explain why we did what we did," Stella told her friend. "If they're actually good people, they won't hold a grudge or get too mad."

"But if they do—" Flora was cut off by Tecna this time.

"Then they aren't worth it," the fairy of technology told the nature fairy.

"Come on," Bloom told her friends, "Let's go and check the sphere if there's anything new going on with Valtor…"

* * *

-Alfea; Campus Grounds-

A faint flash of light shone in darkened hours of the morning, fading to reveal five sleeping Specialists' with six pixies.

"That wasn't too bad," Chatta commented.

"I would rather we took a different mode of transportation next time," Tune said, looking a little green.

"Come on, we can't leave the guys here," Chatta told them. "Let's go get someone!"

"How are we going to explain ourselves to the teachers, though?" Amore asked.

Chatta deflated. "Oh, right…"

Digit perked up as an idea popped into her head. "I know! We can just throw a little magic and around and wait for someone to notice. Then we'll just slip away back into the girls' room!"

The pixies all nodded in understanding and split up. Two (Piff and Tune) were left near the boys while the rest went inside the building to find any members of the staff on guard that night.

However, rather than finding any staff on guard, the four pixies found multiple Red Fountain guards posted around the halls of Alfea.

Digit nodded to her companions and they fired off tiny busts of colourful sparks in a guard's direction, garnering his attention immediately.

"'O was 'at?" The guard grunted as he followed the direction the sparks were leading him. Along the way, several other guards had noticed the strange happenings and followed the first guard to the entrance of the school building.

It was then that they saw a burst of pink and light-green in the centre of the grounds, where a large lump lay silent and still.

The guards stalked towards the lump with their staffs up and glowing, ready to be fired at a moments' notice.

However, they were surprised to find the five Specialists that had been deemed missing a few weeks ago, leaning against each other, fast asleep.

"Go alert the Headmaster and Headmistresses," one guard told another, watching as said guard rushed off to do as he was told.

The guard that issued the order knelt down and looked at the five boys. "Where in the magical Dimension were you all?" He whispered. "Everyone was worried out of their minds…"

"Let me through!" Came the headmaster of Red Fountain's voice. "I need to check on my boys, now let me through!"

The elder man pushed his way through the small crowd of guards with Faragonda and Griffin right behind him, all of them still in their nightwear, though covered with robes. The headmaster of Red Fountain made to rush over to his boys the moment he saw them, when Griffin held an arm out in front of him, preventing him from doing so.

"What are you doing?" Saladin asked. "I must go and check on them! Heaven knows just what's happened to them!"

"I understand your concern," Griffin told him. "But it would be best to check if they are who they seem to be first."

Saladin looked to protest at the suggestion, but closed his mouth when Faragonda shot a look at him. And so the headmaster closed his mouth and nodded in acceptance.

Faragonda waved her fingers and hands in a certain pattern, chanting a spell all the while. A light-gold hue enveloped the boys before dissipating all together.

Faragonda sighed in relief and gave a small smile to her old friend. "It's all right, they are your boys; however, they've been put under a temporary sleeping spell. I can't tell when the spell was put on them, but they should wake in a few hours. But for the time being, they may stay in the infirmary. And then we'll see about getting some answers."

Saladin nodded in relief and ordered the guards around them to carry the sleeping boys to the infirmary as per the headmistress' orders.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Lecture Hall-

Valtor stood above the lecture hall and looked down into it, watching the witches-turned-monsters screeched and howled like the mindless beasts he'd turned them into.

"It's almost time," the wizard smirked as he looked through the windows at the sky. He closed his eyes and held his hands up to the sky, and his body glowing a deep-red, Valtor began chanting an incantation.

_"When the screams of a thousand years are finally heard,  
And the terror of the night embrace this day,  
When the moons up above are consume by shadow,  
Then the plains down below will cause doom to reign,  
And the creatures of the night will rise one again!"_

(AN: I don't know if I heard the incantation correctly, so for the parts I wasn't sure of, I put down what I felt was right.)

**_Winx~Club_**

The skies darkened with deep-hued clouds and a dark-hued rain began to descend from them.

However, the droplets touched the ground, they formed small maroon insect-like creatures, which merged with hundreds more to form soldiers of two sizes and an aerial fleet of demonic-looking flying manta.

The soldiers grouped themselves into neat groups and lines around the Cloud Tower castle, awaiting orders from the one who'd summoned them.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Excellent," Valtor smirked.

* * *

-Alfea; Infirmary-

Sky gave a loud yawn as he woke up. "That was probably the best sleep I've had in a long time…"

"I'm glad you thought so," Faragonda said as she and the other two school heads stepped into the infirmary.

"Where are we?" Brandon asked slowly. He and the others had woken up when they heard Faragonda's voice.

"In the Alfea Infirmary," Griffin answered.

"I'm very glad that you boys are safe and sound," Saladin said walking up to the group. "But what on earth were you all doing? Did something happen?"

"Something happened all right," Riven grunted.

"Did you find my girls?" Faragonda asked.

The Specialists nodded.

"Where?" She asked.

"Sparx," Helia answered.

"Did they tell you why they left?" Faragonda asked worriedly.

The Specialists looked at each other before nodding.

"They left because they were trying to—" Timmy began to explain, when suddenly, his mouth shut on its own, sealed tight.

Bewildered, the orange-haired Specialist tried to opened his mouth, but to no avail. He looked up, however, when he heard more sounds of surprise.

Timmy looked up to see that his friends' mouths had been sealed as well.

"Oh my," Faragonda said while Saladin looked on at them in amusement, and Griffin only smirked. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"And apparently, neither did they," Griffin chuckled.

"But why would that just happen to them like that?" Saladin asked.

"I assume that my girls must have had a part in this and for that I apologize," Faragonda told the headmaster.

"As for the why," Griffin answered, "those girls must have told something to these boys that they didn't want anyone else knowing without their permission. Hence the reason why their mouths are sealed shut and will be as so until the spell sense that they won't try to reveal the girls' secrets again."

"Then I su—" Faragonda sighed.

"Headmistress Faragonda!" Griselda ran into the infirmary with an urgent and frightened look on her face. "Look outside!"

The school heads asked no questions as they made their ways to the infirmary windows. What they saw horrified them.

Thousands upon thousands of tiny insect-like creatures were raining down from the sky, but weren't able to reach Alfea because of the mysterious barrier around the school.

"What are those things?" Timmy asked when his mouth, as well as those of his friends, was unsealed.

"That is the Army of Decay," Faragonda said in horror. "A dark and powerful army that has no end; it is composed of all decayed things since the time the spell was invented, hence the name."

"Then shouldn't we be fighting them?" Sky asked.

"The barrier seems to be keeping them out for the time being," Faragonda told the Specialists, "however, we will keep our guards up so when the time comes to cross that bridge, we will be ready." She looked at each of the Specialists in turn. "Your quarters have been arranged, so you may head down now if you'd like."

The boys all nodded as they followed the headmaster to their room, all the while wondering why the girls had sent them to Alfea.

"I'm glad that the five are you are all right," Saladin told them as he walked. "Are you sure you can't tell us anything?"

The boys looked at each other. They definitely didn't want to risk getting their mouths sealed again, and so shook their heads in negative.

"I thought as much," the headmaster sighed before stopping. "Well, this is where you will be staying for as long as we will be at Alfea."

"Professor?" Timmy asked.

"Yes?" Saladin answered.

"How was Red Fountain Destroyed?" Timmy inquired.

The headmaster sighed and suddenly looked years older. "We were attacked by three witches who not only destroyed our school, but took a piece of an powerful artifact called the Codex from our school."

And with that, the headmaster bade them goodnight and left them to their own devices.

"Why did the girls send us away?" Brandon asked. "I mean, we've been helping them this entire time, so you'd think we'd be able to help them with whatever they'd be doing next, right?"

"And why'd they spell us like that?" Riven growled.

"Maybe there's more to this than we understand," Helia tried reasoning. "I've noticed that those girls only did what they did for a reason. Sending us here spelled was probably because they couldn't trust us not to tell anyone about what they were doing. And they were right; we _were_ going to tell the headmaster and headmistresses."

"They still had no right to do that without consulting us first," Timmy said.

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"Girls," Bloom called, "We've got a problem."

"What's up?" Layla asked as she and the others stepped towards Bloom, who looked into the magical sphere with disgust and horror written over her face.

"Valtor's summoned the Army of Decay!" Flora gasped as she took a look into the sphere.

Stella looked a bit green as she thought back to the fight in their freshman year. "Not those things again…" she groaned.

"It was hard enough taking them out the first time," Musa mused, "but the fact that it's Valtor that summoned them combined with the fact that we now have to fight him _and_ those mutated witches, gives me the creeps."

"It's definitely not going to be easy," Layla said as she looked into the sphere. She may not have been there for the battle at Alfea during her friends' freshman year, but she'd heard enough to know nearly everything about the year by now.

"No one said it was," Tecna said grimly.

* * *

-Cloud Tower; Lecture Hall-

"Go!" Valtor commanded to the mutated witches. "Attack Alfea and bring it crumbling to the ground!"

The mutated witches mindlessly followed his orders and piled out of the castle, running on all fours, towards the school for fairies, screeching and making inhuman noises all the while.

"Soon…" the wizard murmured. "Soon…"

* * *

-Alfea-

"Headmsitress!" one of the students called as the three school heads rushed onto the campus grounds. "Look!"

The three school heads watched as the mutated witches clawed at the barrier. But that wasn't what caught their attention.

What caught their attention was the fact that each blow the creatures dealt onto the barrier was enforced with dark magic.

"At this rate, the barrier won't last for long," Griffin stated. She turned to look at her colleagues. "Go, assemble the students and keep them ready. We don't know when the barrier will fall, but judging from the number of those creatures striking at the barrier, it won't be long. We don't have much time, now go!"

Nodding, Faragonda and Saladin left to quickly their students and staff, telling them that they need to ready themselves for battle.

All the while, Griffin fell into a battle stance as she watched cracks appear in the barrier.

* * *

-Resort Realm-

"The barrier's about to fall!" Tecna said urgently. "We need to go! Now!"

And with that, the girls changed into their Believix forms and in a matter of seconds, were gone.

* * *

-Alfea-

The fairies were in the sky while the heroes, waiting in silence until the time came when they would be needed.

(AN: I _was_ going to insert some kind of an inspiration speech or something made by the three school heads, but I couldn't think of anything that didn't sound cheesy, so I decided to leave it out.)

The students and staff held their breath as the cracks in the barrier grew larger and larger until the entire barrier was riddled with a spider-web-like pattern. Oritel and Miriam stood ready along with the rest of their Company of Light.

Another blow to the barrier, and it shattered.

The barrier had fallen.

* * *

-Cloud Tower-

"Finally," Valtor smirked maliciously.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	29. 28-Taking the Wizard & Leaving the Beast

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Hi! Here's the next chapter, but please don't be mad if I don't update right away, 'kay? I've been having pounding migraines on and off, and I don't know the reason why, so my attention constantly strays off from what I'm doing. I'm lucky to even be getting this up, since at the moment, I have to urge to just plop into bed for a couple hours and drift off into dreamland.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Taking the Wizard & Leaving the Beast~Oo**

-Alfea-

"Attack!" the three school heads chorused as the Army of Decay and the mutated witches pooled into the school.

Fairies used their magic on the Army of Decay, only to see the soldiers regenerate each time after they were destroyed. But it seemed that their magic had no affect whatsoever on the mutated witches.

(AN: Mind you, no one knows that those creatures at the witches at Cloud Tower. Not yet at least.)

The Specialists were doing their best to beat the soldiers of the Army of Decay as well as the mutated witches, but to avail. Much like how it was for the fairies, each time one soldier was destroyed, it would just regenerate. And their weapons didn't do much good against the mutated witches, it only held them at bay, but did no real damage to them.

Meanwhile, the staff of Alfea and Red Fountain were working together to hold back the creatures from destroying the school. But like the problems the students faced, the staff did little to no damage against the creatures.

And lastly, the Company of Light. The Company of Light fought valiantly, all six working together to beat back the soldiers of the Army of Decay, but found their magic useless against the mutated witches, who seemed to be impervious to magic.

Valtor chuckled loudly from above the scene, catching the attention of everyone below.

"Valtor," the Company of Light growled with contempt.

"Hello my old friends," Valtor said with mock politeness. "I'm _so_ glad to see that you all are all right. Miriam, Oritel, so wonderful to see you again; I'd love to thank you for the little vacation you sent me on." He looked at Hagen, Saladin, Griffin, and Faragonda and smirked. "Ah, and I see you've gotten the gang back together; how touching."

"You'll never get away with this, Valtor!" Griffin shouted as she continued to fight alongside her colleagues.

The wizard smirked. "I already have; maybe you'll even get to watch as I take over the entire Magical Dimension!" His face took on a mocking look. "Oops, my bad. You probably won't even live to see the next day!"

"Says who you wannabe dictator!" a voice shouted from behind him, causing everyone down below to stop and watch what was happening above them.

Just as Valtor spun around to look at whoever was behind him, the wizard was blasted into one of the school towers by a powerful blast of magic.

Valtor growled. "Who's there!" he shouted when he saw no one. "Show yourself unless you're too much of a coward!"

"Who're ya talkin' to?" another voice asked.

"'Cause there's six of us and only one of you," another voice said.

"Reveal yourselves!" Valtor demanded.

"Someone's got a temper~" a different voice sang.

"Why don't we show him just who he's going up against?" someone suggested.

"Let's," another answered.

It was then that six girls appeared, standing atop the tower Valtor had been slammed into.

The students and staff below looked at the girls in surprise. They immediately recognized them as the six girls that had run away from Alfea a few weeks before. But why did they come back now?

Valtor burst out into laughter when he saw the girls. "Six puny fairies think they can beat me? How amusing."

"Amusing, huh?" Stella asked. "Then how the heck were we able to blast out of the air?"

"Luck," Valtor sneered. "And it's something that won't happen again."

"Girls get away," Faragonda shouted. "You're not strong enough to take on someone of his power level!"

The girls smirked at each other before jumping into the air. "Let's go: Enchantix!" they chorused.

Everyone stopped again, and watched as the six girls that were known to be Alfea's weakest fairies, transform into the form of a true fairy.

"Who are you?" Valtor asked darkly, throwing spell after spell at the girls, who dodged them easily.

"Like you need to know," Musa flipped the wizard off. She flew down to the staff and Company of Light while her friends held Valtor at bay. "Can you trap Valtor for a bit? The girls and I have an idea."

The group of adults looked at each other before nodding at the fairy of music. Musa gave them a nod of thanks before flying back to her friends, who were attacking Valtor, but missing.

Faragonda, Griffin, Saladin, and the rest of the adult magic users stood together holding her hands out, palms facing Valtor, as they chanted an incantation. Their magic shot out in a rush of light-orange towards the wizard, who was suddenly encased in a bubble that shocked him every time he tried touching it.

"Thank you!" Flora called down to the adults, getting a nod in return.

"Okay, let's do it!" Tecna said, to which her friends all nodded determinedly.

The fighting had resumed down below them, so no one, but the adults even noticed the girls as they flew around in a large circle.

Faster and faster they went until the Winx were only a glowing blur in the sky."Enchantix Convergence!" the girls shouted as the stopped spinning, releasing a large glowing band, akin to the one they'd used on the ice snake in the Omega Dimension. However, this one seemed to grow in size until it was three times its original size and stayed hovering in the air. When the ring had finished growing, a transparent sheen of pale-gold appeared inside the ring.

The Winx flew above the circle and started to direct their fairy dust into the ring, which released the combined fairy dust in a windmill motion, covering the entire school, both in front of and behind the building as well.

All the while, Valtor had continued to fling magic at the sphere encasing him. It wasn't long before the shell began to crack.

Everyone stopped and watched as the mutated witches started to writhe on the ground in excruciating pain. One by one, the Valtor's marks dissolved off of the mutated witches, dispelling the enchantment on them, allowing them to become themselves once more, leaving the only Army of Decay left to fend off.

"My students," Griffin whispered when the shower of fairy dust had stopped. Quickly, the headmistress of Cloud Tower waved her hands at her students and said an incantation.

In a matter of moments, all the Cloud Tower witches and staff were inside Alfea, out of harm's way.

"I can't believe—how did those girls know?" Griffin asked quietly as she stood back-to-back with Faragonda.

"That's just something we'll need to find out when all this is over, Griffy," Faragonda answered before throwing another ball of magic at a group of soldiers.

"Who are those girls?" Hagen asked softly to Oritel.

"They are the ones who released us from our imprisonment," Miriam answered for her husband as he was a little busy taking out a large soldier.

"NO!" Valtor roared when he saw what the Winx had done.

"Give it up, Valtor," Layla told him. "Your slaves are gone, and there's no way you're gonna be able to take the _six_ of us down."

"That's what you think," Valtor said maliciously as he released a rapid torrent of magic at the Winx, knocking them from the air and sending them crashing into the ground just atop the stairs leading into the school.

"So that's how he wants it?" Musa grumbled.

"I say we give him exactly what he deserves," Flora said.

"Let's go: Sirenix!" The girls said in unison, feeling the familiar magic take over their forms, changing them.

Meanwhile, Valtor had summoned back the entirety of his Army of Decay and shot his magic into the group. Everyone watched with wide, horror-filled eyes as the group morphed and combined, growing larger and larger until it was nearly twice the size of the school.

"How are we supposed to beat _that_ thing?!" An Alfea student cried out in fright.

"We'll take care of it_ and _Valtor!" Tecna said fiercely.

The group down below watched with awe as six Sirenix fairies surrounded the large decay monster.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Sirenix fairies," Faragonda said in awe.

"That can't be possible," Miriam said in shock. "That last Sirenix fairy was—"

"Daphne," Oritel finished. "And from what we know, she is the only one that knows how to obtain the Sirenix. So how did those girls do it?"

"Perhaps those girls did more than we ever suspected," Faragonda muttered. "But even so, why hide their accomplishments?"

**_Winx~Club_**

"Sirenix Convergence!" The Winx cried out as their combined power struck down the monster.

Everyone on the ground began to cheer at the accomplishment; however, the happiness wasn't to last for long for a few seconds after the creature had been struck down, it only regenerated.

"Oh man," Musa groaned. "I forget, you can't destroy the Army of Decay unless the person in control is gone!"

"So how do we take down Valtor?" Stella asked. "We might have a chance if we use the Water Stars, but activating them will leave Bloom defenseless!"

"But it's the only chance we've got," Bloom told her friends. She turned to Flora. "Can you get out the Water Stars? It's time to use them."

Flora nodded with fear for her friend in her eyes as she summoned the Water Stars. "Be careful, Sweetie."

Bloom nodded. "Just catch me when I fall, 'kay?" The fiery-haired fairy took the Water Stars and hurled them towards Valtor before launching her attack at them. "Dragon Fury!"

A dragon of fire shot towards the Water Stars and hit, activating their power with a bright glow.

Valtor hadn't seen the projectiles headed towards him, as he was watching his giant soldier of decay batting away the fairies' and Specialists' attacks as though it were only swatting away measly flies.

It was only when the Water Stars activated that the wizard realized that his powers were being suppressed, almost as though they were being drained but not completely. _'What's going on?'_ he thought in panic.

"You like our little trick, Valtor?" Stella asked as she and the girls let Bloom down onto the ground softly.

"What have you done to—" Valtor shouted when he felt a pulse run through him.

Everyone, even the giant soldier of decay stopped when a larger pulse ran through the air, but this time, carrying a dark aura.

The dark pulsations continued to grow stronger and stronger until a beam of deep-violet light shot up from Cloud Tower in the distance, disappearing with an explosion, sending a pulse of dark magic and wind towards Alfea, nearly knocking everyone off of their feet and out of the air.

_"Ungrateful weakling!"_ A trio of voices echoed around the school of fairies.

Valtor's face paled when he heard the voices, knowing exactly who they were.

**_Winx~Club_**

"It can't be…" Layla whispered.

"I thought they were gone?" Flora asked softly.

Bloom's eyes strayed to Cloud Tower for a few seconds before they glazed over as she recalled a memory from a while back. "Of course…" she breathed.

"What?" Tecna asked.

"The essences of the three Ancestresses resided in Cloud Tower," Bloom murmured. "Not many people know it because no was meant to. _I_ only found out because I was looking for my birth parents and they seemed to be the only people who could know any clue about them besides Valtor."

"So what are they gonna do?" Stella asked.

"If it's anything like what happened last time," Musa said grimly, "Then I've got a pretty good hunch."

**_Winx~Club_**

_"We gave you power!"_ the trio hissed. _"We gave you everything, but in the end, you betrayed us!"_

"No," Valtor shook his head, trying to keep the fright out of his voice. "You're all gone; you have no more control over me!"

**_Winx~Club_**

Griffin gasped as she looked around in the air.

"Is something wrong, Griffy?" Faragonda asked.

"Those are the voices of the Ancestral Witches," Griffin explained. "I would know them anywhere…"

"But how could they be h—" Saladin tried saying.

"Their essences are sealed within Cloud Tower," Griffin said bleakly. "Upon their death, their essences were sealed in order to keep them from being able to revive once more."

"And _Cloud Tower_ just _happened_ to be the ideal place?" Saladin gaped.

Griffin glared before nodding. "It is the only place where their essences _could_ be sealed without disrupting magic anywhere else. Had they been sealed at Alfea, the good magic here would have been tainted as would the fairies' magic. And Red Fountain wouldn't be a good choice, for you have no magic within the school besides within yourself."

"Why couldn't they be sealed anywhere else?" Faragonda asked.

"There weren't many places to seal the Ancestresses without fear for how the magic of a realm would become clouded or grant more power to their essences," Griffin continued. "Being sealed at Cloud Tower, enables any headmaster or headmistress to use the power of the Ancestress' essences to keep our students safe and for the magic there to be balanced out."

"Balanced out?" Hagen parroted.

Griffin nodded, all the while keeping her eyes on the wizard. "Witches at Cloud Tower can come with great potential or very little at all. Students with great potential and power may end up having nearly no way to control their magic, while those with little power end up needing assistance to draw their full power out of them. The essences of the Ancestresses help coax out the magic of those with little power, while they tone down the amount of chaos a student can create if they have no control over their power."

"It gives the students a way to reach equilibrium so they can begin to truly train to bring out their full potential under control," Miriam said in realization.

Griffin nodded. "Unlike fairies, witches don't have the sense of equilibrium they do. Fairies are born with a sense of equilibrium that is controlled and can be fostered from an early age because of the difference in the duties of fairies and witches. Witches are born with a natural instinct to cause chaos, and therefore have no sense of equilibrium that can be cultivated or controlled well. Cloud Tower helps these witches to reach equilibrium to control their chaos."

"But do the essences truly have any power?" Oritel asked.

"They do, and I've explained how we at Cloud Tower utilize it," Griffin said, "however, for them to come out like this, would need a catalyst of large proportions."

"But how—" Saladin said before his eyes snapped back to Valtor. "Valtor; He's the catalyst?"

"It would make sense," Faragonda mused quietly. "We must remember that the Ancestral Witches created him with the ashes of the Dragon Fire combined with their own dark magic. It only makes sense that they have some connection to him. And when you add that he's been at Cloud Tower for a while; that would have given time for the connection to grow in strength allowing what is happening to happen."

"But what will they _do_?" Miriam asked.

"We can only wait and see," Faragonda said quietly. "We can only wait and see."

(AN: I have no clue if the explanations I made here made any sense since they made more sense in my head than in words… However, I'll say this: I don't think any of what I'd had 'explained' was said anywhere in the show, so I just made it up since I needed something for an explanation.)

**_Winx~Club_**

_"Oh but we do,"_ the voices cackled. _"_We_ created _you_ with _our_ magic and our essences continue to live though our bodies do not. _We are connected_!"_

"No!" Valtor shouted, looking around for the sources of the voices, only to see nothing.

_"Yes!"_ the Ancestresses hissed maliciously. _"And as punishment, we shall take the part that is the man and leave behind that which is the beast!"_

Everyone watched as Valtor's body began to convulse as the wizard screamed in pain. His figure began to glow a deep-red for a few seconds before the light faded.

Seconds passed and no one dared to even take a breath.

Suddenly, Valtor's back arched as he let loose a scream of agony to the heavens. His clothes ripped from his body as his skin turned deep-maroon and grew in size, strength, and figure. The face of what could have been considered a handsome man, now was no more than the face of a demon with horns on either side of his head and glowing gold eyes. A tail sprouted from behind as a pair of demonic wings shaped like a bat's grew out from his back. The beast grew and grew until it was three times the size of the original Valtor.

The creature that was once a wizard gave a loud roar that echoed around for miles.

"This just got a lot worse," Musa said in a low tone.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	30. 29- The Winx Club

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Okay, first of all, thank you for the reviews, sentiments, and being understanding about my situation. I'm feeling better (after a number bags of ice and frozen veggies on my head); turns out I had a mild fever, but somehow didn't know it. So I decided to go ahead and finish this chapter as well as the next so I can get them up.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Winx Club~Oo**

-Winx Dimension; Gardenia Beach-

"Are you sure this is going to work, Timmy?" Sky asked as he looked at the tiny device that was just a few centimeters off from being the size of his hand.

"Definitely," the orange-haired Specialist nodded. "My communicator worked, didn't it?"

"Once," Riven said. "And then it busted."

"That was because of how far the connection was," Timmy protested. "If they were in a dimension literally just opposite from our own, then the connection would've lasted for longer and the device wouldn't have given out. But the dimension the girls are in is farther than just an opposite dimension."

"Should we even be doing this?" Roy asked, looking around discreetly. "We'll probably get in a boat-load of trouble if anyone catches wind of this."

"They'll only know if somebody tells," Brandon said.

"How does this thing work?" Helia asked, tilting his head to look at the tiny device Timmy was working on.

"I used the piece of magic Saladin infused into a certain part in the communication device as the main circuit for this," Timmy explained. "That part is going to be what sets the destination since it recorded the girls' coordinates. The rest of the device is made up of other parts of the communication device, too. So since it's connected with the girls once, it'll take us straight to them…"

"I'm hearing a 'but' in there somewhere," Sky narrowed his eyes.

"The only glitch," Timmy winced, "is that this only works one way. I can't configure it to go both ways so we can go and bring the girls back with us. It'll only let us through before closing up all together."

This answer floored the rest of the Specialists. If they went, then there would be no guarantee that they could even come back home.

Would it be worth it to go to a place they may know little to nothing about with nearly no chance of return?

The Specialists looked at each other and nodded in agreement. It would be worth it so long as they were with the girls.

(AN: I know that nothing's completely concrete between Roy and Layla/Aisha, so for the time being, I'll probably end up having them have strictly a Princess-Guard sort of relationship.)

"Done," Timmy whispered as he placed the device on his lap. "We can leave at any time."

"Then let's—" Riven began.

"Why don't we at least let our parents and the professors know where we're going?" Brandon cut off the magenta-haired Specialist.

"But if we tell them," Sky protested, "They _definitely_ won't let us leave!"

"Then we won't tell them," Helia suggested, "not directly at least."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

"We'll leave letters for those we think need to know about our departure," Helia explained. "This way, they won't be able to stop us from leaving and by the time they find out, we'll be gone."

"Then we'll pick a few things we'll all need and take care of any unfinished business and meet back in an hour," Sky nodded to his friends, who nodded in response.

**_Winx~Club_**

"So we have everything we need?" Brandon asked; a duffle bag hanging off of his shoulder. "No one forgot anything?"

The Specialists shook their heads, each having a different sized bag slung over their shoulders while they were in their Specialist uniforms.

"I guess we're ready, then," Sky released a deep breath. He looked at Timmy, who stood in the centre of them all, holding the device that would take them to the girls. "Timmy?"

The orange-haired Specialist nodded and punched a few buttons on the device before leaving lying on his palm. A few seconds passed before the little piece of technology lit up and hovered in the air about three feet above them all.

The boys watched as the device opened up into a hexagonal ring and released little bolts of lime-green electricity. The centre of the ring was suddenly filled with a solid, but shifting lime-green hue that crackled with electricity. Within seconds of the solid shade appearing, the ring grew larger and larger until it spanned about five feet in radius.

"Hold on to each other!" Timmy said quickly, linking hands with Riven and Sky.

One by one, the Specialists all followed Timmy's order and held onto each other just as their feet began to leave the ground, all of them heading straight into the portal.

There was a flash of light that disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared, and the Specialists were there no longer.

* * *

-Alfea-

"Oh man," Stella whimpered. "Like it wasn't hard enough to beat him the _first_ time! And Bloom nearly died doing it!"

"But I'm still here, aren't I?" Bloom reminded her friend gently. "We beat him once, and we'll do it again."

"You girls have a plan, right?" Brandon asked, looking at them with a little panic in his eyes.

The girls said nothing as they just glanced at each other and then back at Brandon.

"Right?!" the brunette Specialist yelped. "Oh, man!" he shouted as he looked up at something with wide eyes.

The girls looked up as well and their eyes had grown wide when they saw that the magic binding the giant solider of decay was dissolving. In a matter of moments, the giant monster of decay fell apart into the tiny insect forms that once again formed into soldiers of decay.

"This just a got a whole lot better," Layla grumbled sarcastically.

"Come on," Bloom told her friends. "We have to go and take Valtor out; it's the only way to get rid of the Army!" she looked at Brandon. "Tell everyone to focus on the rot monsters; the girls and I'll see what we can do about Valtor."

Brandon nodded and ran back to where the Winx assumed his friends were.

"How are we supposed to beat him?" Flora asked. "Our Sirenix Powers might be strong enough to defeat Valtor, but we don't have a lot of time." She looked around at the battle around them. "I don't think anyone can hold out much longer."

Tecna glared up at the beast that was Valtor. "I can calculate his point of vulnerability," she said quietly enough for only the girls to hear. "But it'll take a little while, so I'll you guys to distract him. However, once I've calculated it, we'll only have one shot to get it right."

"Why?" Musa asked.

Tecna looked grim. "Because if my theory is correct, we'll only have enough magic left for one more Convergence before we'll collapse from exhaustion. We performed two Convergences in the same day, and it's not something we've ever done before. Convergences in general take a lot out of fairies anyway and it's a miracle that we even managed two large Convergences like what we did."

The girls were quiet, forgetting about the battle for a moment.

Bloom looked up, her eyes glinting with determination. "We'll do it," she said.

"What?!" Stella gaped. "You can't be serious! What Tecna's talking about is really risky!"

"But it's the only chance we've got," the fiery-haired princess reminded them. "Look around at everyone. They're doing their best to fight off Valtor's army, but how long do you think they can keep this up? If the witches were here to help us like they did back in our world, the situation, perhaps, wouldn't be so bad. But they're not; the witches are still incredibly weak from their ordeal and I don't think they'll be waking up anytime soon. And even if they do, they won't have the strength to fight."

This prompted the rest of the girls to watch the goings on around them.

Bloom and Tecna were right.

The fairies and heroes were fighting bravely, but even the strongest of them couldn't hide their exhaustion. Some Specialists were slowing and panting heavily, while some fairies were no longer able to stay in the air and resorted to fighting physically.

"They're right," Layla said. "As risky as the idea sounds, Bloom and Tecna have the right idea; pinpointing Valtor's weak spot could end this once and for all."

"But we'll only have one shot," Musa reminded them.

"Then we'll just have to make it count," Flora said.

"Then let's go!" Stella exclaimed. "The sooner we get rid Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Ugly, the better off we'll all be!"

The girls laughed at the sun fairy for a few seconds before five of the six Winx girls shot up into the air and started hurling attack after attack at the beast.

"Lava Jab!" Bloom shouted, shooting a stream of fire at the beast.

"Petal Hurricane!" Flora sent a hurricane-stream of multi-coloured glowing flower petals in the same direction of Bloom's attack.

The combination of the two attacks shoved the large creature back, but not by much.

"Percussive Hit!"

"Light Diamond!"

"Naiad's Attack!"

Stella, Musa, and Layla shouted as they sent their combined attacks at the beast that was Valtor.

The creature was knocked back another few metres.

Enraged, the wizard-turned-beast roared as he chased the girls higher into the air, away from Alfea and the battle.

Meanwhile, Tecna was floating a few metres above Alfea, but below and away from where her friends were engaging the beast. The fairy of technology had several large and small lime-green panel-like screens hovering around her, where she did her computation and calculations by moving and typing things directly on the screens.

"Just a little more," Tecna muttered to herself as her fingers moved rapidly across the screens. She glanced up at her friends, who continued to fight the monster Valtor had become. "Hold on, girls. Hold o—NO!" Tecna's eyes widened in disbelief when the screens were suddenly filled with static.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" the fairy of technology cried out. "This can't be happening!"

Musa having seen Tecna's outburst, nodded to her friends, and gestured lightly in the magenta-haired fairy's direction.

The rest of the girls nodded and silently told the fairy of music to check up on what could have caused Tecna to freak out like that.

But once the music fairy left, the girls looked at each other worriedly. Could something have gone wrong with Tecna's calculations?

**_Winx~Club_**

Meanwhile, down below, the fairies and heroes continued to fight against the Army of Decay, though many more were beginning to tire.

"The students can't take much more," Saladin said worriedly as he shot a pulse of magic towards a large soldier.

"Headmistress!" Paladium panted as he ran over to Faragonda, who stood back-to-back with Griffin, shooting multiple bursts of magic at the soldiers. "The girls are beginning to weaken and the boys of Red Fountain look like they're ready to collapse! The staff is doing as much as they can, but there's only so much we can do!"

"Then there's only one thing we _can_ do," Faragonda's eyes narrowed.

"What is that?" Miriam asked.

Faragonda looked up into the sky and saw that the Winx were taking care of Valtor. She looked back at those around her. "We must keep the Army of Decay sealed away for as long as we can. If we can no longer fight them, then at the very least, we can bind them."

"How?" Griffin asked, intrigued by the idea, though her exhaustion showed clearly on her face.

Faragonda turned to elf-like professor. "Tell all the fairies to fall back; tell them and our staff to concentrate on giving their magic to me." She turned to those around her. "Your Highness, Saladin, Griffin; I need you to do as my girls and staff will be doing. Concentrate on giving your magic to me; I will focus it all into something that can seal away the Army of Decay."

"How long will it last?" Oritel asked.

"I don't know," Faragonda said quietly.

Just then they all heard a small shout of disbelief. Looking up to the source, the adults found themselves looking at a panicked Tecna.

"Something must have happened," Miriam said worriedly. "But what?"

"I don't know what could have happened," Hagen spoke, "but what I do know is that we must seal these monsters away as soon as we—"

"Something's coming," Griffin, Saladin, and Faragonda whispered.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Those girls really are something, aren't they?" Sky asked as he slashed away at a large rot monster that charged at him.

"They definitely proved those rumors wrong," Timmy commented, shooting off a few more laser projectiles at a smaller solider.

"But don't they seem a little too good to be true?" Riven asked. "I mean all this happens out of nowhere and at a time like this, too! Why now?"

"We may never know, Riven," Helia said calmly, using his laser gloves to throw a rot monster into a group that was ganging up on a couple fairies. "But you have to admit, they're not really that bad. Whatever they did, it was to protect others, and us. So we really can't fault them for what they've done when it's done nothing but keep others safe."

"Really?" Riven said sarcastically. "Then what do you call this?"

Helia paused for a moment before whipping out his own sword and hacking away a couple soldiers that had surrounded them. "A miscalculation?" he tried weakly.

Riven snorted. "Right; and I'm Miss Magix."

Helia suddenly looked up into the sky with narrowed eyes. "Something's wrong."

"What?" Brandon asked, dodging a punch.

"I can't tell," Helia said, frustrated. "But what I _can_ tell you is that something's coming. Something big."

"That definitely doesn't sound good," Timmy squeaked out, shooting a few more blasts at another monster.

**_Winx~Club_**

"What's wrong?" Musa asked Tecna worriedly as she looked at the static-filled screens.

"I almost had his point of vulnerability," Tecna said in disbelief. "Something's interfering with my magic! And I don't know what it is!"

Musa then felt a pulse run through her and froze. She looked over at Tecna and saw that the fairy of technology, had, too frozen. Chancing a glance, the fairy of music looked up towards her friends and saw that they, too must have felt the pulse and had frozen much like them, however, they had had enough sense to move away from Valtor and come towards her and Tecna before the beast could lay a hit on them.

"You guys feel it, too?" Musa asked quietly.

The girls only nodded their heads.

"It's big," Bloom said softly.

"Really big," Stella added. "But it's not entirely magic."

"Stella's right," Layla said. "I can feel magic coming, but it's not that much."

"Then what's so big that could be coming, but has a small amount of magic?" Flora asked. "What else could it have?"

"Technology," Tecna whispered. "Whatever is coming is composed of magic-infused and magically enhanced technology."

"But what could it be?" Musa asked.

And right then, as if on cue, a large lime-green portal appeared the sky, five metres in radius.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Did I say that it didn't sound good?" Timmy gulped. "I meant that it doesn't _look_ good."

"No kidding," Brandon commented.

**_Winx~Club_**

However, the large group below the portal was surprised when six human figures dropped out of the fissure in the sky.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	31. 30- The Fall of the Beast

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: When I first thought of the idea for this story, wrote it out, and posted it, I never thought I'd garner such a reaction in my readers. I figured that I'd get a modest amount of readers and reviews, but the amount of reviews I've received for this story is the largest amount I've ever received in all of my stories! So I thank all of my wonderful readers for keeping up with the story and sending in great reviews! Really, I get all giddy when I read the [good] reactions my readers and it gets me motivated to write more! So once again, thank you!

Now just as a quick heads up, this won't be a very long chapter, and I'm not very good at battle scenes in general, so I tried to write it as best as I could. But I ended the chapter off in a certain place because that's how I planned it to be. So I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The Fall of the Beast~Oo**

(AN: Now I'm sure you already know from the last chapter just who the six that fell out of the portal are. So from here on out, the names of the guys from the Winx's dimension will be in italics while the ones in this dimension will be in normal print.)

"_Timmy_!" _Sky_ shouted over the wind whistling in their ears as they fell. "Was this _supposed_ to happen?"

Unfortunately, as they continued to fall from the sheer height, the boys found it hard to keep themselves linked to each other and instead were forced to let go of each other.

"The destination was set to take us to the girls!" _Timmy_ yelled. "They must be here or the portal wouldn't have ejected us!"

"And you couldn't find somewhere on the ground to land?" _Riven_ all but screamed.

"Uh exactly where is here?" _Brandon_ asked loudly.

**_Winx~Club_**

The Winx floated in the air, looking on at the six falling figures in disbelief. There was _no way_ those were their boys. Right?

"No way," Layla breathed.

"It can't be," Musa shook her head.

"But it looks like it is," Stella said blinking to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"And it looks like they need our help!" Bloom shouted in alarm. "Let's go!"

With that the six fairies zipped off in the boys' direction.

**_Winx~Club_**

"When I get a hold of you Ti—" _Riven _shouted before yelping suddenly when a hand caught his wrists.

"Miss me?" Musa winked, happy to see him despite the doubts she had about their relationship.

_Riven_ just looked up at his fairy with a sense of relief and have her a light smirk in answer. "What do you think?"

The other boys gave similar sounds of surprise when their wrists were caught as well.

"Bloom!" _Sky_ said happily

"Tecna!" _Timmy_ grinned.

"Flora," _Helia_ smiled.

"Your Highness," _Roy_ bowed his head slightly.

"Hey Princess," _Brandon_ greeted.

Carefully, the girls all placed the Specialists down at the top of a tower.

"Look it's great to see you guys," Bloom said quickly, "But we really need to go." She was about to fly off with the other girls, when they found themselves being held back by each of the boys.

"What do you mean?" _Timmy_ asked. "What's going on?"

"Take a look," Layla gestured to the battle that was happening below them before gesturing upwards to a rampaging Valtor.

"Didn't we fight those things in your freshman year?" _Sky_ asked.

"Yes," Tecna nodded. "But you have to remember that this is an alternate dimension. So not everything that happened in our dimension happened at the same time here or the same way."

"Right now Valtor's up there in his beast form and he was the one who summoned the Army of Decay," Musa added. "Not the witches."

"Speaking of them," _Helia_ spoke, "Where are they?"

"We haven't seen much of them," Flora answered. "Not since we left Cloud Tower after freeing Ms. Griffin, anyway."

"Okay, enough chatter!" Stella exclaimed. "It's really great that you're all here and I'm sure we'll be glad to hear the story, but what we really need right now is to take out Valtor and that gross army!"

"Can we help?" _Roy_ asked.

The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Go and help everyone down there keep the rot monsters at bay," Bloom ordered. "The girls and I'll go after Valtor."

The guys nodded and watched as the girls flew back up into the sky, Tecna with her screens around her once more, and the girls providing a distraction.

"Well?" _Brandon_ asked, dropping his duffle. "The girls gave us?" The brunette leapt over the edge of the tower and used his cape like a parachute to break his fall.

"Let's go," _Sky _said as the rest of the guys copied the brunette's actions, dropping their luggage and leaping over the edge into the fray.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Faragonda get that seal up now!" Saladin shouted. "The boys can't take much—who are _they_?"

"Who?" Oritel asked, looking around.

"Those boys," Saladin answered, pointing to the group that had just joined in. "But they were over—" the headmaster looked over to where his recently recovered boys were fighting, to see them right there. "Those boys looked just like a few of my boys, but with a few differences…Just who _are_ they?"

But no one answered him as Faragonda shot out a large ball of grey-blue light in the air. The ball of light shattered into millions of grey-blue sparks that covered the entire Alfea campus, but only stuck onto the rot monsters.

Just then, as though drawn together like a magnet, the rot monsters were being pulled to each other until they all were stuck to each other, struggling to get free. But before everyone had a chance to even blink at what was going on, a grey-blue bubble appeared around the Army of Decay, slowly compressing it until the bubble was no larger than a basketball.

"How long will that last?" Hagen asked.

"As long as I can manage without passing out," Faragonda replied, not missing a beat. She glanced up to where the Winx were. "I just hope this gives those girls the chance they need."

**_Winx~Club_**

"That was quick," _Roy_ blinked when he saw the rot monsters being compressed into the bubble Faragonda had created.

"So we don't have to do anything anymore," _Brandon_ blinked. "Okay, that was a letdown. I was looking forward to taking out a couple of those things!"

"Was Valtor that big when the girls took him out in our world?" _Sky_ asked.

_Timmy_ looked up into the sky with a pensive look on his face. He shook his head. "Nope," the orange-haired specialist said. "He was definitely smaller. Definitely smaller."

"Then why'd he so big here?" _Riven_ asked.

"I could be wrong," _Timmy_ said slowly. "But maybe it's because of the amount of magic he's absorbed into his body. Well, either that or he was just more powerful in this dimension."

"I'm getting worried about the girls," _Helia_ spoke up. "Can they take this Valtor out as easily as they did the last one?"

_Brandon_ shook his head. "We're all worried, man. But we just have to trust the girls; we don't have any other choice."

Meanwhile, _Roy_ was taking in their surrounding and the people around them, only to freeze when his eyes lay upon five very familiar people sitting on the ground in exhaustion, chatting amongst themselves and those around them. He looked at the group before him and the group with him and decided to ask and see if his suspicions were correct.

"Uh, guys?" _Roy _asked.

_Sky_ hummed in response.

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm seeing double," _Roy_ said.

"That's gre—wait; what doubles?" _Timmy _turned to _Roy_ and looked in the direction and froze. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped. "G-G-Guys! You better come and see this!"

"What?" _Riven_ snapped as he looked in the direction the other two Specialists were gaping in and promptly froze as well. "No way…"

In no time all the Specialists were gaping in the direction of their counterparts in this dimension.

"Those can easily be other people," _Timmy_ said weakly, though he knew that neither he nor his friends even believed those words.

Just then, they heard a blast and a loud roar from above.

Everyone on the ground looked up into the sky and watched as the beast known as Valtor disintegrated in a burst of light.

**_Winx~Club_**

"I've calculated his point of vulnerability!" Tecna shouted to her friends. "Forty-five degrees below his left shoulder blade!"

"Alright, girls," Bloom said with fire in her eyes. "Let's finish him off once and for all!"

Flora and Layla concentrated and merged their magic to bind Valtor to restrict his movements.

The six Sirenix fairies linked hands and closed their eyes. A multicoloured glowed outlined their figures as a large sphere of magic of the same hues materialized before them. The girls raised their arms with the sphere following their movements.

"Winx Club Sirenix Convergence!" The girls chorused, pulling their linked arms back before slinging them in Valtor's direction, the sphere once again following their movements.

The sphere hit home as it struck the area where Tecna had designated. Soon, in a matter of seconds, the area that the sphere had struck started to glow a fierce gold that soon overtook his entire body. It wasn't long before the demonic beast shattered in a burst of gold light.

Once Valtor was no more, there remained a cloud of multicoloured magic where the wizard-turned-beast was. The cloud of magic dispersed into thousands of beams of light going in multiple directions.

"What's this?" Stella asked in awe.

"I think it's the magic Valtor stole," Musa answered slowly. "They're returning to where they're supposed to be!"

"We did it," Bloom sighed in relief. "It's over. It's all over."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	32. 31- Gone

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Umm…okay, this is a short chapter, but it turned out a little longer than I originally intended… But enjoy the chapter nonetheless!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Gone~Oo**

-Winx Dimension; Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Faragonda!" Saladin called as he rushed into the headmistress' office with Griselda right behind him. "They're gone!"

Faragonda looked up in surprise. "Saladin, calm down. Now, what are you trying to say?"

"The boys," Saladin said urgently. "They've gone after the girls!"

Griselda gasped.

"What?" the headmistress asked shocked. "But that couldn't be possible!"

"I'm afraid it is," Saladin said grimly. "I added a little magic to their communication device when they spoke to the girls before it burned out. But it seems that they've managed to use the parts of the communication device to create a portal generator to take them to the girls."

"Attempting something like that is absolutely reckless and dangerous beyond compare!" Griselda exclaimed. "They could end up anywhere!"

"I'm afraid it's too late," the headmaster shook his head. "They're already gone."

"Then all we can do now," Faragonda closed her eyes, "Is hope for the best."

* * *

-Infinite Ocean-

"So the boys are gone?" Lemmy asked quietly as she and the other Selkies bonded to the Winx as they sat in a little cave that looked like a mound of coral from the outside.

Lithia nodded. "They left earlier today."

"I hope they're all right," Desiryee said softly.

"Don't worry," Illiris placed a hand on the pink-skinned selkie's shoulder. "The boys are smart and it was Timmy that made the thing that took them away to the girls, so they'll definitely be fine!" _'I hope…'_

"Did anyone find a way to bring them back yet?" Serena asked. "It's been two months since we last saw Bloom and the others! I'm getting worried!"

"Everything'll be fine," Sonna soothed. "You'll see."

All the while, Lithia had been looking down with a pensieve expression.

Lithia looked up with an excited gasp. "What about Daphne? We could ask her if there's a way to reverse whatever Icy, Darsi, and Stormy used on the girls!"

"But where would we start?" Illiris asked. "We know she's here in the Infinite Ocean, but this place is HUGE! She could be anywhere!"

"Then we'll just have to split up," Serena nodded determinedly. "It's the only way we can cover more ground."

"But we'll need to be really careful," Lemmy reminded them. "The witches and Tritannus are in the Infinite Ocean and we could run into them at any time!"

"Then we'll just take a couple Bollabies with us," Lithia suggested. "That way if we find something, we can the Bollabies to warn each other!"

The Selkies all nodded and swam out of the little cave to split off in six different directions, with three Bollabies following each Selkie.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Some Time Later-

The Selkie guardian of the Linphea Ocean Gate hid behind a cluster of rocks as she peeked over the edge at the Trix and Tritannus. Desiryee watched as the group tried to pry more information out of Daphne. The Selkie whimpered softly when she heard the nymph's cries of pain.

"Desiryee!" Serena called swimming towards the Linphean Selkie with the other four Selkies behind her.

"Shhh!" Desiryee shushed.

"What is it?" Sonna whispered.

Desiryee said nothing as she pointed over the edge of the rocks they were hiding behind.

The five Selkies peeked over the edge just as Desiryess had been doing a few moments before and gasped softly when they saw Triannus and the Trix with Daphne.

"We found Daphne," Lemmy said. "But how do we get those four away from her?"

The Selkies looked at each other worriedly. This wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Have you found a way to bring your girls back?" Saladin asked. "For that matter, is there any way to bring _my_ boys back?"

Faragonda shook her head sadly. "The staff and I are doing all that we can to find some way to bring the girls back and we believe however the girls are brought back should also work for your boys. But I'm afraid we've just had no luck so far. We've even recruited Griffy to help us, but even she's not found anything that would help yet."

Saladin slumped in his chair and suddenly both school heads looked older than they were.

"Why would they do something as reckless as this?" Saladin whispered. "They knew that we were all doing everything we could to help, but to do something like this with no warning or plan…what were they thinking?"

"That's a very simple question, Saladin," Faragonda said quietly, "that had an even simpler answer." She looked the headmaster of Red Fountain in the eye. "Love."

"Love?" Saladin sputtered.

Faragonda nodded. "Those boys care very much about the girls, and you know as well as I do that they would do anything they could to keep them safe, even if it meant putting themselves in danger."

"That still doesn't explain why they went off on their own!" Saladin burst out. "They could have told us what they were planning and we would've given them whatever help they would've needed!"

"That's true," Faragonda nodded. "However, there is also one more thing you're forgetting. They're young men in love who haven't seen the ones they care about in over two months. Tell me, if someone you loved dearly went missing for over two months, perhaps even longer than that, wouldn't you go crazy if you felt that nothing was happening to rectify the situation?"

The headmaster opened his mouth to answer, but snapped it shut when he saw the point in his colleague's words.

* * *

-Infinite Ocean-

"Okay Bollabies," Serena said, "You know what to do!"

The swarm of the little fish-like creatures gave a little shake in reply before swimming off in the direction the Trix and Tritannus, the large group of Bollabies looking more like an underwater tidal wave than anything.

"What the—" Darsi got out before she was knocked back by the Bollabies.

"What are these things?!" Stormy shouted as she tried hitting the Bollabies, only for them to evade each shot.

Icy was attempting to encase the little fish-like creatures in her ice, but was failing to do so because of the sheer number of them.

Tritannus was doing the same, trying to use his powers on the little creatures that dared to get in his way, but to no avail. He tried again and again to hit the Bollabies, but instead, was destroying the rocks and coral around them.

It wasn't long before Tritannus' tainted powers reached their limit, draining from his body. "Argh!" Tritannus shouted in pain as his mutated form became that of his original merman form.

"Tritannus!" Icy shouted swimming over to the merman.

"Icy…" The merman chocked out hoarsely.

"Come on," the ice witch cooed, "a little toxic waste and you'll be good as new." She threw a glare at the Bollabies that were now retreating before looking at her two companions. "Come on!"

Darsi and Stormy rolled their eyes and gagged before swimming off after Icy.

"Come on!" Lemmy said as she led the rest of the Selkies to Daphne.

"Who are you?" Daphne asked.

"I'm Lemmy, Layla's bonded Selkie and the Guardian of Andros' Ocean Gate," Lemmy introduced.

"I'm Illiris, Stella's bonded Selkie and the Guardian of Solaria's Ocean Gate," Illiris continued.

"My name is Lithia; Tecna's bonded Selkie and the Guardian of the Ocean Gate of Zenith," Lithia carried on.

"Sonna, Musa's bonded Selkie and Guardian Melody's Ocean Gate," Sonna said.

"I'm Desiryee, Flora's bonded Selkie and the Guardian of Linphea's Ocean Gate," Desiryee followed up.

"And I'm Serena, Bloom's bonded Selkie and the Guardian of Sparx's Ocean Gate!" Serena exclaimed.

Daphne's eyes widened, or at least it seemed that they did, when she heard the Selkies' introductions.

"Bloom!" Daphne exclaimed. "How is she? Where is she? I've been trying to contact her for weeks, but I can't find her!"

The Selkies looked at each other hesitantly.

It was Lithia that answered the nymph. "The witches cast some kind of spell on Bloom and her friends," the Selkie said. "We heard that they were taken to a different dimension. Ms. Faragonda and many others are doing whatever they can to find a way to bring the girls back, but there's been no improvement so far."

"That's why we came to you," Lemmy continued. "We thought you might know of a way to bring Layla and the others back."

Daphne looked at the worried Selkies and pursed her lips in thought. "The spell, what was the nature of it?"

"It was supposed to get rid of Musa and her friends," Sonna answered, "but the witches messed up and sent them to another dimension!"

Daphne gasped. _'_That_ spell? But a spell as risky as that can have so many consequences and risks!'_ "There is no known counter for the spell the witches have used," The firstborn princess of Domino said. "But there is a way that just might work."

The Selkies crowded closer to the spelled cage Daphne was in and listened to her plan.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Saladin," Faragonda soothed, "I know you're worried about them. I'm worried about my girls, too. But we must trust them to be able to take care of themselves in an unfamiliar environment and look after one another. In the meantime, we will continue to research ways to bring our students back to us until we find some way to actually do it."

She smiled gently at the headmaster. "I know my words may not mean much, but have faith. Have faith that they all are all right. Have faith that we will find a way to bring them back. And most importantly: Have faith that they are safe and sound."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	33. 32- Truthful Stories and Reconcilation

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: I'm really sorry about not updating quickly, but because of the up-and-down weather in my area, I caught a really bad cold. I'm still sneezing with the occasional cough, but those should be gone in a day or two.

Anyway, I'm really surprised at the number of reviews I've got for this story alone. I might have said something like this before, but I'm really thankful for the wonderful reviews of the faithful readers. Seriously, though, this story alone has the most reviews I've ever received! The second highest being my Next Avengers story, my Pandora Hearts story taking third, and my Prétear story taking fourth!

Now, I was planning on ending this story so that it would meld into the end of the season. As in, by the time the girls got back it would be partway through the "Last Discovery" episode. But after reading the reviews, I decided to rethink the ending. Now, as the English Dub version of the last few episodes of season 5, I've been watching the Italian Dub (since I know enough Italian to get by), and I have a pretty good grasp on how I'll end the story, which should be done in another four chapters, five max if things don't plan out right.

But BLOODY HELL this was LONG! I didn't even expect this to go on for so long and before I realized it, it was already too late to change/break it up.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Truthful Stories and Reconcilation~Oo**

-Alfea-

"Uh guys?" Musa whispered. "I don't think it's over yet…"

The girls looked at the fairy of music in curiosity, only to find her gesturing behind them. The Winx looked behind them and saw the students of Alfea and Red Fountain, the Specialists from their dimension, and the adults all looking at them in confusion.

**_Winx~Club_**

"We weren't hit by any spells, right?" Sky asked faintly to Timmy.

The other Specialists who were talking with their other friends around them, looked at the blonde prince and gave him a weird look.

"No," Brandon said slowly. "Why?"

"'Cause I think I'm seeing double," Sky said pointing to the group of gaping Specialists that looked like them, except for a few obvious differences.

"What the—" Riven stuttered quietly. "Who are you?"

"_Sky_," the blonde said.

"_Helia_," the navy-haired male replied.

"_Timmy_," the orange-haired specialist said.

"_Riven_," the magenta-haired boy grunted out.

"_Brandon_," the brunette choked out.

"_Roy_," the tanned specialist said.

"They have our names," Brandon deadpanned. "_Why_ do they have our names? Well, except for that _Roy_ guy, but still! That can't be normal!"

"I'm pretty sure that if I had a twin my parents would have said something," Helia said quietly. "And I don't think they would have named us with the same name."

"Then the question remains," Timmy said. "If we're who we are, then who the heck are _they_?"

**_Winx~Club_**

"Would someone tell us what's going on here?" Brandon asked as he and his friends gaped at their copies when the Winx had landed on the ground, returning to their civilian forms.

"Well…" Layla stuttered.

"That is…" Stella tried.

Seeing that her friends were having trouble explaining, Tecna stepped up to speak. "Headmistress Faragonda," the magenta-haired fairy addressed the elder woman. "If you would dismiss everyone but the Brandon, Timmy, Sky, Riven, Helia, and your Company of Light, we would be glad to explain everything in a much more…private setting."

Faragonda exchanged glances with Saladin, Griffin, Hagen and the two Sparx royals before nodding in acquiesce. She turned to the students who were watching the proceedings quietly, and ordered them to go rest up in their dorms or designated quarters.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

Faragonda and the rest of the adults sat on chairs the school heads had conjured up while this dimension's Specialists sat against a wall and the Winx's _Specialists_ stood tall near the girls.

"So what do you want to know?" Bloom asked.

"Everything," Faragonda said in a tone that meant business.

"Where should we begin?" Musa sighed.

"I find that the beginning is usually the best place," Saladin suggested, though his eyes were slightly narrowed at the girls as well.

"Then introductions first would be best," Tecna exhaled softly. She stood straight, looking into the eyes of their audience. "I am Tecna of Zenith, Guardian Fairy of Zenith."

Stella went next. "I'm Princess Stella of Solaria, Guardian Fairy of Solaria."

"Princess Layla of Andros, Guardian Fairy of Andros," the dark-skinned fairy continued.

"My name's Flora of Linphea, Guardian Fairy of Linphea," Flora said.

"Musa of Melody, Guardian Fairy of Melody," the dark-haired fairy carried on.

"I'm Princess Bloom of Sparx, Keeper of the Dragon Flame, and Guardian Fairy of Sparx," the fiery-haired fairy introduced.

The _Specialists_ by the Winx went next.

"_Prince Sky_ of Eraklyon," the blonde said with a nod.

"_Brandon_ of Eraklyon, Squire and Bodyguard to _Prince Sky_," the brunette tipped his head.

"_Timmy_ of Magix," the orange-haired male said.

(AN: It's never been said, nor revealed anywhere that I've check, about either Helia and Riven's origins, so I'll be making up a realm for Riven, and using Linphea for Helia since it's most speculated that that's where he's from.)

"_Riven_ of Casisto," the magenta-haired male grunted.

"_Helia_ of Linphea," Helia said quietly.

"_Roy_ of Andros," the tanned Specialist said respectfully.

Silence reigned through the office as everyone looked at the girls and the boys.

"Are you really her?" Miriam broke the silence with her whisper. "Are you my baby girl?"

Bloom nodded hesitantly, but spoke when Miriam and Oritel were getting up to most likely catch in an embrace. "But, like I told Daphne, I'm not _your_ Bloom."

"What do you mean?" Oritel asked.

"It's a part of what we need to tell you," the fiery-haired princess answered.

"We're not from this dimension," Tecna explained. "In our world, the girls and I were fighting against three witches, Icy, Darsi, and Stormy who followed an evil merman named Tritannus. The witches cast a spell on us."

"It was that spell that brought us here to this dimension," Layla added.

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Griffin asked skeptically.

The girls looked at each other worriedly.

Stella took a chance. "The us from this dimension are the weakest fairies to ever set foot in Alfea," the blonde pointed out. "_We_ went farther than any fairy ever has by getting our Enchantix, Believix, Harmonix, _and_ Sirenix."

"They have a point," Saladin muttered.

"If we were lying," Layla said this time, "how would we have known about the Codex?"

This made the three school heads sit up straighter.

"You know?" Faragonda asked quietly.

The girls nodded. "We're the ones that took each piece from their hiding spots, with permission," Flora explained, "to protect them."

"They're telling the truth," a voice said when Griffin opened her mouth to say something.

The large group in the office looked to the source and saw Concorda, Discorda, Athena, Ninfea, and the girls' bonded pixies hovering over the doorway.

The pixies, upon seeing the girls, squealed and tackled their bonded fairies in a hug each as best as they could, considering their small size.

"We were so worried!" Lockette sniffled.

"We thought something bad might have happened!" Digit exclaimed.

"But we're glad that you're all okay!" Chatta said!

The pixie elders chuckled at the younger pixies and their antics before turning to the adults.

"When did you bond with pixies?" Faragonda asked.

"During our sophomore year," Bloom answered with Layla's interjection of "My first year", "when Sky, Brandon, Stella, Layla, and I traveled into the Underrealm to rescue them from Darkar's prison."

"These girls speak the truth," Ninfea told them all. "Both of the Codex and who they are."

"Didn't you all notice how we left just before anything bad began happening?" Musa asked.

"When we arrived here, it seems we replaced the 'us' in this dimension with ourselves," Tecna explained, "and it seems that our counterparts were in the Magical Reality Chamber when we came."

Faragonda's eyes widened. "The Magical Discharge."

Tecna nodded. "Exactly. What I believe happened was when we were dropped into this world, the magic used to bring us here, must have released a discharge of the exact amount of power the spell used by the witches and what the spell took from us. The combination of the amount of magic, both dark and light clashing caused a reaction which, in turn, caused the discharge. It was that discharge that revealed the presence of the Dragon Fire to Icy, Darsi, Stormy, awakened Lord Darkar from what should have been an eternal sleep, released the Wizards of the Black Circle, and released Valtor from his prison in the Omega dimension. Otherwise, how else would anyone explain all those villains coming to life in the same time span?"

"Can you prove any of this?" Griffin asked.

The girls looked at each other and nodded. "We can't show you everything, but we'll show you the most major moments we think are important," Musa answered.

The girls linked hands and closed their eyes, chanting an incantiation.

Before they knew it, the entire group within the office was watching the memories as though they were in it.

They watched as Trix stole the Dragon Fire from Bloom and how she found out who she was. Watched as Red Fountain, Alfea, and Cloud Tower teamed up to battle the Trix. They watched as the pieces of the Codex were taken by the Trix and how Darkar converted Bloom to his side with dark magic. They watched as the girls encountered and countered Valtor's doings as well as defeating him once and for all. They watched as the girls took on the wizards of the Black Circle, earned their Believix and helped Roxy. And the final moments shown were glimpses of the girls' Sirenix Trials, receiving their Sirenix, and finally they watched as Trix cast the spell on the Winx that caused them to travel into another world.

Throughout the entire time the group was watching through the moments, the Winx's boyfriends had slipped their arms around or linked hands with their respective girlfriend. Though in Layla's case, _Roy_ only stood by Layla, offering comfort in the form of silence.

They never noticed some of the Specialists of that dimension glaring over at their counterparts.

_'They look like they're close…'_ Helia thought, glancing at his counterpart with Flora.

_'Why are they standing so cl—'_ Riven wondered, watching his counterpart with Musa before shaking his head. _'Wait, why do I even care?'_

_'I could care less if they knew each other longest,'_ Brandon thought as he glared at his counterpart with Stella, _'But _they_ weren't here and _we_ helped them this entire time!'_

When the memories ended, the adults and the group of Specialists just sat there in shock at what they'd witnessed.

"All right so they were telling the truth," Saladin conceded. "But that doesn't explain how you six came here?" He looked to the _Specialists_ in askance.

"We managed to contact the girls once with a device _Timmy_ built," _Brandon_ explained. "The Headmaster Saladin in our dimension used his magic to give it a little boost, which is probably why the signal was able to reach the girls. Anyway, Timmy used the parts from the communicator to build a portal generator to take us to where the girls were."

"Why would you go so far and risk injury for them?" Faragonda asked with a glint in her eyes. "Though as noble as the deed is, you must have had an ulterior motive."

The _Specialists_, bar Roy, rubbed the backs of her heads sheepishly or made guilty sounds.

"I came because I need to know that Princess Layla was safe, for the sake of Their Highnesses and Andros," Roy answered.

"That seems valid enough," Griffin nodded before turning to the rest of the boys, who turned away from the headmistress of Cloud Tower with lightly flushed faces. She raised an eyebrow at the five.

"Mphr mmroums," was all the adults heard Brandon mumble.

"Come again?" Faragonda smirked.

"They're our girlfriends, all right?" Riven snapped, blushing slightly. "We have a right to be worried about them, you know!"

"Indeed," Faragonda nodded.

"And judging from the reactions," Saladin muttered under his breath to his colleagues, "they've been together for a long time…"

The headmaster turned to _his_ students and looked at them sternly. "Now I think it's time for you five to explain why you ran off like a gang of rogues!"

The Specialists winced at the headmaster's tone and Sky opened his mouth to explain when the Winx spoke up.

"Please it was our idea," Flora said earnestly.

"The boys found us on Sparx when we left," Bloom explained, "but we were the ones that took their ship down and held them as hostages because we couldn't risk being found. Not when we had so much left to do."

"But it was our idea to go with the girls and help them," Helia added.

"What on earth were you girls thinking?" Faragonda shook her head. "Running away like that and not even trying to ask for help!"

"Do you remember that night when you called everyone out of bed to see who left the dorms after curfew?" Stella asked. "We snuck out to check on the witches, Darkar, and Valtor. We already found out that the Wizards of the Black Circle were out of their prison and looking for the last Earth fairy, Roxy."

"That was you?" Saladin asked. "But how? Codatorta reported only two fairies!"

"Our Believix enables us the use of three types of wings," Tecna explained. "The Zoomix, used for teleportation; the Speedix gives us a boost in power and as its name states, speed; and finally the Tracix, which can be used to look into the past to find something or someone."

"That night four of us used our Zoomix while the other two were in their Enchantix forms," Layla added.

"We left because we found out that Icy, Darsi, and Stormy found the Dragon Fire here at Alfea," Bloom explained. "They were going to attack the school until they found it." She looked at Faragonda seriously. "I know that you think you could've taken them on, but we didn't want to take any chances, especially since those three witches are apparent descendants of the original three Ancestral Witches."

The adults gasped in shock.

"Descendants of the Ancestresses?" Oritel whispered.

"It's illegal for any magical institution to accept anyone related to the Ancestral Witches!" Saladin protested.

"Are you saying that I accepted them into my school knowing that they were related to the Ancestresses?" Griffin growled. "I assure you that I had no reason to suspect anything. Their transcripts said that they were from the realm of Whisperia, though I wondered why their parents never showed up for conferences…"

"Now is not the time to point fingers," Faragonda said sternly. She looked at the girls. "Continue."

"We stayed in Sparx long enough to get a hold of the Water Stars and close up the Omega Portal on Andros," Flora told them. "When we felt you and Headmaster Saladin arrive, we knew we had to go or else you probably would've just taken us back to Alfea without hearing us out."

"But we checked on Alfea as often as we could manage when we weren't doing anything important," Musa told them. "And since the barrier we left on the school protected you, we didn't have anything to worry about; at least not until we found out that Valtor was going to attack the school."

"You girls created that barrier?" Faragonda asked, surprised. "How?"

"We just anchored some stone with protection spells and charged them with our Sirenix powers so nothing could get through," Stella shrugged as though it weren't a huge matter.

"Anyway," Musa continued, "after we left Sparx, we left for the Resort Realm. Stella's family has a villa there and we figured that it would be the last place anyone would bother to look for us, it being a magic-free realm and all."

The adults blinked. It was true; the resort realm seemed like a nice getaway, but for a hideout? It wasn't the most obvious place one would pick, making all the more ingenious.

"So while we were in the Resort Realm," Layla picked up, "We all decided to get a lot more of the bigger stuff over with. So half of us went ahead into the Underrealm and defeated Darkar while the other half went on into Cloud Tower to free Professor Griffin. After that, we lured the Wizards of the Black Circle to Obsidian and managed to stop them, while freeing the people of Sparx at the same time."

"After a good rest," Tecna spoke, "We sent the boys and our pixies ahead to Alfea so they would be safe and there to help out their friends. It wasn't until the barrier fell that we rushed to Alfea using our Zoomix."

"And well, you know what happened after that," Flora said.

The room was silent once more.

"We know it's a lot to take in," Flora told them. "And we don't want to cause any trouble, so if it's all right, could we go back to our dorms?"

Faragonda blinked once, twice, three times before nodding absently.

"Oh and before we leave," Musa muttered, she waved her hands and chanted an incantation. In a matter of seconds, the pieces of the Codex laid perfectly unharmed in her hands. She held them out to the Pixie Guardians. "Here, I figure you might want these back now since they're not in danger anymore."

The pixies thanked the fairies for protecting the relics, watching as the Winx and the two sets of Specialists left the room, leaving behind six adults that were still trying to comprehend everything they'd just hear.

"Whatever I expected," Saladin slumped in his chair, "_that_ wasn't what I was expecting."

"None of us were," Oritel said faintly.

* * *

-Alfea; Winx Dorm-

The girls stepped aside and allowed the _Specialists_ to step inside their dorm. Layla quickly casted a locking and monitoring spell on the doors so no one could get in without permission, but would be alerted if anyone was trying to do so.

Once Layla was done, each of the _Specialists_, bar _Roy_, took their girlfriends into their arms in a tight embrace.

"Thank goodness you're alright," _Sky_ whispered into his princess' ear.

Bloom said nothing and just snuggled deeper into her boyfriend's embrace.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Musa," _Riven_ said so softly that only the fairy of music could pick up on his words.

Musa was shocked at the magenta-haired male's words, and forgot about her doubt for now and just leaned into the embrace.

"I've missed you, My Flower," _Helia_ murmured to the nature fairy.

Flora's eyes widened in surprise. _'But I thought he…and Krystal…'_ But the fairy of nature thought of no more as she simple closed her eyes and leaned into her boyfriend's arms, taking in his light-woodsy scent.

"I'm glad you're okay, Tecna," _Timmy_ said quietly. " I mean, I knew that you'd be all right being who you are and all but—"

Tecna cut off her boyfriend's words with a finger to his lips with a soft giggle. "I'm glad to see you, too, Timmy."

"Schnookums!" Stella squealed softly. "I missed you so much!"

_Brandon_ only gave a smiled as he tightened his arms around the sun fairy. "Me too, Princess. Me too."

While the couples were sharing their moments, Layla and _Roy_ stood there watching them with wistful smiles; Layla's a bit sadder than _Roy's_.

"I trust that you've been well, Your Highness?" _Roy_ asked quietly to the dark-haired princess.

Layla glanced at him and gave a nod. "As well as we could be, anyway. It was a little weird at first, but we got used to it." She added as an afterthought, "We had to."

Layla looked back at her friends and saw that they were all still acting all lovey-dovey. The fairy of waves smirked slightly as an idea came to mind. She put two of her finger to her mouth and blew, letting out a high-pitched whistle that startled her friends and their boyfriends out of the little love-show they were in.

"Now that we've got the greetings about of the way," Layla smirked. "Why don't we sit down and talk? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you guys have just as many questions as we do."

The couples blushed in embarrassment before taking seats on either the couches on the floors, the boys dragging their girlfriends with them as though afraid they would disappear.

"Soooo," Stella drawled. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will, I guess," _Timmy_ spoke up. "Why didn't you try contacting us?"

The girls looked at each other before Tecna answered. "It didn't really occur to us at the time. There was just too much going on; we were trying to get used to this new world, stop the Trix, Valtor, Darkar, and the Wizards of the Black Circle. Contacting you never really came up because everyone here was in danger because of us." The girls looked at the Specialists apologetically. "Well, that and we didn't know how we could get in touch with you. I'd wondered about a device powered by magic, but, I didn't dare try it out in case there were disastrous affects."

"How's everyone been since we…left?" Bloom asked quietly.

The atmosphere turned somber.

"It's been a little over three months since the six of you…disappeared," _Sky_ replied quietly. "Your families, Ms. Faragonda, everyone was worried about what happened to you all."

"It's why we spent the better part of the time you were gone to find some way to bring you back," _Helia_ added. "It wasn't easy, finding the spell that was used to bring you here. But we did it. Unfortunately, it would've taken too long to perform the counter to bring you back home."

"So we decided to take matters into our own hands," _Riven_ broke in. "And here we are."

"What was the catch?" Musa asked suspiciously.

The boys winced.

"The device _Timmy_ made let us through to here," _Brandon_ confirmed, "the only glitch was that it was a one-way trip. Once we went through the portal and came out on the other side, it would close forever."

There was silence.

"YOU IDIOTS!" The girls burst out.

"Why would do you something like that?" Flora's eyes glinted in anger.

"You could have been killed!" Tecna shouted.

"Can't you guys think for once before reacting?" Musa yelled.

"You knew you wouldn't be able to go back and you still came?!" Stella said in outrage.

"If you thought our families would be worried what about yours?! Did you think about that!?" Layla all but screeched.

"What would we have done if something happened to you!" Bloom demanded.

The boys all shrunk back from the obviously furious girls.

"N-Now c-calm down," _Sky_ tried placating the girls, only to see their hair flaring up with magic. "There's no need to be hasty!"

"Give us a break would you!" _Riven_ finally blurted out. "We were worried about you! We came because we thought you were worth the risk!"

This made the girls' anger die down slightly.

"What did you say?" Musa asked, wanting to know if she heard correctly. Riven wasn't known for speaking sweet words to anyone, and even then it was every rare that he would ever say something like that in front of so many people.

_Brandon_ sighed. "We were all worried out of minds when you girls just up and disappeared like that! Who wouldn't be when their girlfriends go missing for who-knows-how-long?"

"We were going crazy just by looking up ways we could get you back home," _Helia _sighed. "We thought that research would get our minds off of the situation, but it just made it worse."

"And so we decided to take matters into our own hands," _Timmy_ added. "We knew the risks; I explained them to everyone before we left and we all agreed to come anyway because, as _Riven_ said, you girls were worth the risk."

The girls looked stunned as they stared at the Specialists. They knew the boys cared for them and would do anything to make sure they were safe, but to go to the extremes like this? It wasn't something they'd ever imagine having to go through, let alone thought about.

_Brandon_ coughed to break the silence that had once again befallen the group. "So, from what we heard, I guess you girls have been busy?"

The girls each gained a wry look on their faces. "You could say that," Layla said dryly.

"I know what we heard back in the headmistress' office probably wasn't everything," _Timmy_ said, "So we want to hear every detail of what you've been doing." He threw the girls a surprisingly stern look. "Don't leave anything out, got it?"

The girls were surprised, but nodded nevertheless.

"Well when we woke up in this world, it was in the infirmary; apparently our counterparts were in the Magical Reality Chamber for a test or something," Tecna spoke. "However, we didn't remember having any tests so we went along with whatever the professors said until they left. After that, we sent the pixies out to find out whatever they could about this world."

"And boy were _we_ surprised," Bloom continued. "Here, there's no Winx Club; so the six of us weren't even best friends, first of all. The pixies told us that the Trix never attacked Alfea and Red Fountain and took over Cloud Tower during Freshman year in our world. This meant that Darkar never awakened, Valtor never escaped Omega, and the Wizards of the Black Circle were never released. Of course, that also means that Tritannus went on a power rampage."

The boys' eyebrows raised at this.

"And if you remember," Musa picked up, "the reason we were able to advance so far into magic was because we fought against all of those guys. So if everything that happened to us never happened here, our counterparts here probably never had the chance or reason to level up in power. We found out that the 'us' here are the weakest students at Alfea and just got their Charmix a couple months ago!"

This time the boys' jaws dropped in surprise and shock.

"T-That's…" _Timmy_ stuttered.

"Why?" _Sky_ murmured under his breath.

"Anyway, once we got out of the infirmary," Layla resumed, "we decided to investigate a little on the Trix, Darkar, Valtor, and the Wizards. Tecna already explained what the Magical Discharge was and we believed that it triggered something in our enemies here, causing them to rise from their dormancy. The Trix were suddenly planning to get the Dragon Fire, Darkar just woke up from his seal like it was nothing, Valtor broke out of Omega, and the Wizards were released from the painting they were sealed in."

"After finding out about them," Flora continued, "we decided to do whatever we could to stop them from causing mass mayhem in the Magical Dimension. We left Alfea so that the Trix wouldn't be able to get the Dragon Fire and we left a barrier up around the school so that no one could be harmed. Bloom found Roxy and her father and brought them to Alfea and Red Fountain. We went to Sparx and stayed there for a little while, until the 'you' in this world came after us on Ms. F's orders."

"But we couldn't abandon what now became our sole purpose here," Stella went on. "So we kept your counterparts with us as hostages and told them about what we were doing without giving too much away. The 'you' here decided to help us after hearing us out and once Ms. F and Headmaster Saladin came to Sparx to find them, we left for the Resort Realm and stayed in a villa my family has there."

"Long story short," Bloom continued, "we defeated Darkar and the Wizards, set my people free, and of course you came when we defeated Valtor."

The boys were silent.

"You girls never have a normal year without anything going on, do you?" _Brandon_ chuckled, shaking his head.

"So how's everything back home?" Stella asked.

"Like we said," _Timmy_ answered. "Your families were worried sick about you, not to mention the Alfea staff."

"What about Tritannus and the witches?" Layla asked. "What's going on with them?"

"Tritannus hasn't shown himself or caused any havoc lately, which is a little weird, if you ask me," _Sky_ answered.

"But it could be that he's looking for the Pillar of Control," _Roy_ added

The girls looked at each other. "Actually, even if he found it, he wouldn't be able to take the seal," Flora said softly.

"What do you mean?" _Helia's_ brow furrowed.

"Just before we were sent here," Musa answered, "we destroyed the seal on the Pillar of Control and stabilized it with our magic. So whatever he was trying to do with the Emperor's Throne, it's not going to work now."

The boys looked at the girls, stunned.

"How didn't we know about this?" _Riven_ asked slowly.

"We never had the chance to tell anyone," Tecna shrugged, "seeing as we're the only ones, besides Tritannus and the Trix that have access to the Infinite Ocean."

"Didn't the Selkies tell you?" Flora asked.

_Sky_ flushed lightly at this. "I was worried and angry about what happened," he confessed. "The Selkies told us that you were gone, but I never stuck around to find out what they said after that…"

Flora sighed. "Well, what's done is done, I guess."

"Hey," _Timmy_ said slowly. "Can I ask you girls something?"

"What is it?" Stella blinked.

"Why were our counterparts glaring at us in the headmistress' office?" the orange-haired Specialist asked.

"Why would they be glaring at you?" Musa raised an eyebrow. "What's there to be mad about?"

"That's why I want to know!" _Timmy_ exclaimed. "Did we do something or…?"

"I wouldn't say that they were mad at us," _Sky_ mused. "It was more like they were…"

"Jealous," _Riven_ finished. "They looked really jealous. Why?"

"Why would they be jealous?" Flora asked. "They already have girlfriends."

"And I'm guessing by the looks on your faces that it's not you?" _Sky_ drawled.

The girls nodded.

_Riven_ sighed. "All right, out with it. Who the heck are we dating in this dimension?"

"You're dating some witch," Musa told the magenta-haired Specialist. "Her name's Carmen and let me tell you, she long-overdue for an attitude adjustment."

"Diaspro's your fiancée," was all Bloom told her boyfriend.

"You're dating some fairy here at Alfea," Stella told the brunette Specialist. "Her name's Aria and no, I don't know what realm she's from or what kind of fairy she is."

"You're going out with a fairy from Alfea, as well," Tecna told _Timmy_. "Her name is Miranda, but like Aira, I don't know where she's from or what kind of fairy she is."

"You're dating Krystal," Flora said quietly to _Helia_.

"I apparently don't know you here, so I don't know where you are, or what you're doing," Layla told _Roy_.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Diaspro's really his fiancée?" _Sky_ said with a grimace.

Bloom nodded.

"How the heck does he stand her?" the blonde prince sighed.

The fiery-haired girl shrugged. "You seemed to be happy with her, so I guess you fell for her in this world."

"Don't say that, Bloom," _Sky_ shuddered. "Just—don't…"

"You asked," Bloom giggled.

**_Winx~Club_**

"He's dating a witch," _Riven_ stated.

Musa nodded.

"And he likes her," _Riven_ said.

Musa nodded again.

"And he can _stand_ her?" _Riven_ asked. "_I_ can't even stand the _name_!"

(AN: I mean no offense whatsoever to any 'Carmens' out there. The name really isn't bad, I'm just putting that in here for the sake of the story and because the pairing of Carmen and Riven sounded a little amusing because of the rhyming. Once again, I mean no offense whatsoever, so please don't be mad!)

"You were practically all over her," Musa shrugged.

_Riven_, despite his cold and somewhat standoffish behaviour, noticed something in Musa's tone.

_'She's depressed,'_ the magenta-haired male thought as he looked at his girlfriend. _'But why? Did I do something? Come to think of it, she's been a bit off since she…returned from Melody! Did something happen there?'_ A thought occurred to Riven out of the blue._ 'Or…maybe she saw me going off with Lydia and got the wrong impression!'_

"Musa," _Riven_ said softly into the music fairy's ear.

"Hm?" Musa hummed as she giggled at the pixies, who were playing some sort of game.

"I know I don't say it a lot," _Riven_ whispered, "but I love you. You know that don't you?"

Musa sighed before looking at _Riven_. She shook her head. "I don't know what to believe anymore, Riven."

"Look, I don't know what happened or what I did," the magenta-haired male said, "but I want you to know that Lydia's just a friend; she's helping me out with a little project I've been working on."

The fairy of music gave _Riven_ a long look. "I don't know if I should believe you; my head says 'no', but my heart's telling me 'yes'."

"What do _you_ want to believe?" _Riven_ asked.

Musa was silent for a moment. "I want…to believe you…"

**_Winx~Club_**

"So he's dating a fairy?" _Brandon_ asked.

"Yup!" Stella said.

"A fairy that you don't know and have probably never seen," _Brandon_ said.

Stella nodded.

"He's _dating_ a _fairy_ that's _not_ you?" _Brandon_ asked again.

"Yes!" Stella said exasperatedly. "I thought I just said that!"

"Oh you did," _Brandon_ confirmed. "I just wanted to know if I heard you right."

"Why?" Stella blinked.

"Because I can't imagine being with anyone but you," the brunette Specialist grinned at his sun fairy.

"Oh that was _way_ cheesy!" Stella giggled. She threw herself into his arms. "But I love you for it anyway."

**_Winx~Club_**

"Are you sure you don't have any information on—what's her name?—Miranda?" _Timmy_ asked.

"No," Tecna shook her head. She suddenly turned to her boyfriend with a suspicious look her on face. "Why do ask?"

_Timmy_ looked at Tecna before realizing what she must have been thinking. "It's not what you think!" He waved his hands wildly in front of his face. "I just wanted to know how and why she's together with my counterpart here!"

Tecna hummed, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him skeptically. "Well, even if that's what you wanted to know, I can't help you. As I already told you, I don't have any data on her at all. And since we've never met her in our world, there would be no way to answer your question."

"Well, it was worth a shot," _Timmy_ sighed.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Why am I going out with Krystal?" _Helia_ blinked. "She and I are just supposed to be childhood friends."

"Well," Flora said softly. "You have to remember, that it's technically not you. And in this world, while a lot is the same, a lot is also different."

A slightly awkward silence fell upon the couple.

"Look, Flora," _Helia_ spoke, "I'm really sorry about everything that's been happening between us lately. Since Krystal came to Alfea, we just wanted to catch up. But I've been thinking of us lately, and how we've barely spent any time together."

"It's not anyone's fault, _Helia_," Flora cut in. "The girls and I've had to deal with Tritannus, the Sirenix Trials, and the Royal Council. You've been busy, too, so I guess that makes us even."

"It still doesn't excuse me for continuously going off with Krystal," _Helia _shook his head.

Flora was silent, eyes glassy. "When you introduced me to Krystal the day I met her, I was honestly glad to meet a friend of yours. But then you called 'a friend'; do you know how much it hurt to hear that from you? Ever since then, I've been second guessing what we are. Are we a couple, or are we as you said, just friends?"

_Helia's_ eyes widened when heard the words the fairy of nature spoke. He'd had no idea that Flora felt that way, but then again how would he? While his girlfriend was off trying to save the Magical Dimension, he was off spending time with a friend he hadn't seen in years.

"I really am sorry, Flora," _Helia_ apologized. "I had no idea you felt that way…why didn't you ever say something?"

Flora shook her head. "And risk sounding like a jealous and clingy girlfriend who has no trust in the one she cares for? I didn't do it because I trusted you enough to think you would at least tell her that we were dating. But when you didn't, I didn't know what to think anymore."

"I really am sorry, Flower," _Helia_ said softly, combing his fingers through her hair. "That day after the volleyball match, I really did want to talk to you; I wanted to ask you out to dinner that night, but you know what happened. Krystal dragged me away and asked me to go to dinner with her and her family. I tried telling her about my plans, but she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. I know that she probably has more than friendship feelings, and that's why I've going with her so much. I've been trying to make her understand that I don't love her the way she does me, but she'd playing ignorant and I can't do anything about it."

He cast an apologetic look at the nature fairy. "I really am sorry, Flora. But trust me when I say that I love you. I loved from the moment I laid my eyes on you and I've never felt so strongly about anyone else and I never will."

Flora gazed at _Helia_ for a few moments.

She sighed. "_Helia_, I love you and I _do_ trust you, but it's not going to be easy for me to _forgive_ you."

_Helia_ took the fairy into his arms and buried his face in her hair. "That's all I can ask for, Flower."

**_Winx~Club_**

"So if you didn't know me here, Your Highness," _Roy_ asked slowly, "Would that mean that I'm still on Andros?"

Layla shrugged. "Maybe, I don't really know. Tecna's the one who went to Andros to close the Omega Portal, but that's all. And I doubt she took time for some sightseeing."

_'But Roy has a point,'_ Layla thought. _'I don't know him, so he's probably still on Andros working under my father. But if that's true, then that would also mean that…Nabu is…'_ The princess shook her head rapidly to dispel the suddenly depressing thoughts.

**_Winx~Club_**

"So what are going to do now?" _Sky_ asked. "We don't have a way back and you girls probably don't know how to reverse the spell, either. Which brings me back to my question: What do we do?"

"Well, we can't stay here," Tecna said obviously. "The students have seen us in our Enchantix and Sirenix forms and they've seen the boys here and our boys; you know they'll be asking questions that we can't answer."

"If we can't stay at Alfea," Layla said slowly, "Then it's also likely that we can't go to any of our homes in this world."

"What about Earth?" Bloom suggested. "We can find Roxy's dad and bring him back to Gardenia since the Wizards of the Black Circle are gone while we're at it. And who knows, maybe we could work at the Frutti Music Bar to pass the time!"

"That sounds like a plan," Musa nodded. "But we could also crash back in the Resort Realm. Like before no one would bother to trail us there since there isn't any magic there."

"I say we go to Earth," _Timmy_ said. "Bloom's right about one thing, we could work to get some money and set up a place of our own just until we find a way back. Earth isn't the first place anyone would look for us, since magic there's been scarce for a long time."

"If Timmy says it's the thing to do," _Brandon_ said, "I'm in."

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office; The Next Morning-

"Are you sure about this?" Faragonda asked. "Do you really want to go to Earth?"

The Winx and the Specialists nodded.

"At least on Earth we can live in peace without any distractions," Tecna told the headmistress. "I mean no offense to being here at Alfea, but here we'd have to deal with the constant attention from the students who believed our counterparts were weak. On Earth, no one would know who we are besides Roy and even then, he knows how to keep secrets. In any case, we'd be safe there."

The headmistress gazed at the group of twelve with a pensive look. "Very well," she sighed, "I suppose I can't stop you. But, you're all old enough to make your own decisions and I trust you to make the right ones."

"Then I guess we'll be off," Bloom smiled at Faragonda.

"Wait, what's going to happen to Icy, Darsi, and Stormy?" Musa asked.

"Headmistress Griffin has expelled them from Cloud Tower and has had them sentenced to a lifetime sentence in Light Haven," Faragonda reported.

The girls stifled their laughs before nodding.

The group bade the headmistress farewell and walked out of the office.

"Stay safe," Faragonda whispered.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Alfea; Campus Grounds-

The moment the Winx and the Specialists set foot out of the school, whispers broke out amongst those out and about.

But the group of twelve only ignored the muttering around them and continued on towards the front gates.

Or they would have, if four voices didn't stop them.

"Sky!" Came a voice the girls knew very well.

"Brandon!" another girl called.

"Tim-Tim!" a different girl shouted.

"Helia!" another girl exclaimed.

The group of twelve turned around to spot Diaspro, Aria, Miranda, and Krystal headed their way, arms spread as they ran towards who they assumed were their boyfriends.

Each boy side-stepped the girls' attempt to grab them and immediately grabbed a hold of their own girlfriends to keep these girls away from them.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Sky where are you going?" the Princess of Isis whined. "And without me!"

It was then that she noticed Bloom with _Sky's _arm around her waist, being held close to him. "Oh! Why are you with this loser! You promised that we'd spend all day together and I find you here with some peasant!"

"Excuse me?" Bloom's eyes glinted dangerously. She ignored Sky, who was trying to hold her back and walked up to the fair of gems. "Peasant? I don't think you know who you're dealing with!"

"And I'm not _your_ boyfriend," _Sky_ broke in with a northern European accent. "I'm Bloom's boyfriend—"

"Skylar!" Bloom broke in, ignoring the blonde prince's raised eyebrow.

"No he isn't!" Diaspro stomped a foot on the ground. "That's my fiancée, Prince Sky of Eraklyon!"

"I'm very sorry, Princess," _Sky_ told Diaspro, "But my name is Skylar of Solaria and Bloom is my girlfriend."

"What?" Diaspro said, shocked. "But you look just like him!"

"I might look like your boyfriend, but I'm not," _Sky_ said as politely as he could, growing annoyed with the princess that was once his betrothed.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Brandon where're you going?" Aria asked.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," _Brandon_ tipped his head, adopting a sort of southern accent. "But I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking to. My name isn't Brandon."

"His name's Blake and he's _my_ Boyfriend," Stella said possessively.

"But he—" Aria began.

"Looks like your boyfriend?" Stella finished.

"Yeah, I get that," _Brandon_ rubbed the back of his head. "A lot."

"Are you sure you're not related to him?" Aria asked. "You look an awful lot like my boyfriend. You could pass of as identical twins!"

"I'm pretty sure we're not related," _Brandon_ said quickly.

"And besides," Stella broke in, "Haven't you ever heard of people having a twin somewhere out in the world that isn't related to them? Believe me, it's true!"

**_Winx~Club_**

"'Tim-Tim'?" Tecna mouthed to herself. _'What kind of nickname is that?'_

"Tim-Tim!" Miranda scolded. "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Uh what?" _Timmy_ sweat-dropped as he tried backing away from the girl.

_'We probably shouldn't have left without putting a disguise on the boys…'_ Tecna thought. _'But then again, we didn't calculate the outcome of this happening…'_

"Excuse me," Tecna coughed. "But I'm afraid you have the wrong person. This is my boyfriend, Thomas. He isn't this 'Tim-Tim' you seem to believe he is."

"Okay, Nerd," Miranda growled. "Check this, I know _my_ boyfriend anywhere and he's standing right next to you!

_Timmy's_ eyes hardened. "I'm really sorry, but Tecna's right," he lowered his voice an octave, "I'm Thomas of Zenith."

"No," Miranda said slowly as though talking to a child, "You're name is Timmy; you're from Magix and you're _my_ boyfriend!"

"I would stop talking right here and right now if you don't want mysterious things to start happening to you," Tecna said icily.

"Is that a threat?" Miranda stepped forward.

"No," the magenta-haired fairy was brought closer to her boyfriend. "It's a promise."

**_Winx~Club_**

"Helia?" Krystal said, walking forward and reaching for the navy-haired Specialist. "Helia, what's the matter?"

"I'm afraid I'm not who you think I am," _Helia_ told the lavender-haired girl gently as he backed away with each step forward the girl took, clutching Flora closer to him.

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked, stopping. "Are you sick? Don't you recognize your own girlfriend?"

_Helia_ shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss, but my name isn't Helia and I'm not your boyfriend."

"This is Hunter and I'm his girlfriend, Flora," the nature fairy introduced.

Krystal looked back and forth between the couple before glaring at Flora. "You brainwashed him! I thought you were just a weak little fairy, but apparently you're a witch! You took my boyfriend away from me!"

Flora drew back slightly, shocked at Krystal's tone and anger.

_Helia_ straightened when he heard Krystal's accusations. _'Would the Krystal back home act the same way?'_

"You Highness," _Helia_ tipped his head. "I'm terribly sorry for the confusion, but my name is Hunter of Melody."

Krystal gaped. "But—But you—"

"I'm not who you think I am," _Helia_ said firmly. "I don't mean to be rude, but perhaps it would be best to ask who someone is before jumping to conclusions."

**_Winx~Club_**

"I don't envy them," _Riven_ snickered at the couples.

"Definitely not," Musa and Layla said sweat-dropping.

The group heard voices in the distance. Looking in the direction of the noise, they blanched.

The Specialists of that dimension were running towards them, worried expressions on their faces.

_'This probably won't go so well…'_ Layla and Musa thought, glancing at each other.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Diaspro!" Sky called.

"Aria!" Brandon shouted.

"Miranda!" Timmy yelled.

"Krystal!" Helia exclaimed.

Said four girls turned around and their jaws dropped when they saw their boyfriends running up to them, with Riven walking behind them at a more sedate pace.

The girls looked back and forth bewteen their boyfriends and the _Specialists_ in confusion and shock.

"What the—" Diaspro muttered.

"That's not possible…" Miranda shook her head in denial.

"What are you doing here?" Sky asked Diaspro. "We said we'd meet up with you girls at the quad."

"But you—and them—" Diaspro stuttered as she pointed to the boys and then back at the Specialists.

"Oh so you met them?" Brandon asked blandly.

"What?" Krystal asked.

"These guys came a little late to help out with the Army of Decay," Timmy explained. "They attended Red Fountain a while back."

"But why do they look like you guys?" Miranda asked.

The boys shrugged. "Don't know," Sky answered. "But there is an old about people having twins around the world that aren't related. So that might have something to do with it, since we've never met them before the other day."

It was then the boys noticed the direction the Specialists and the Winx were headed.

"And where're you going?" Riven asked.

"We're leaving Alfea," Bloom answered. "Don't worry, we already told Ms. Faragonda, so there's no need to worry."

"Where are you going?" Helia asked.

"I don't really think that's any of your business," _Helia_ answered.

The navy-haired Specialist of that dimension only glared at his other-world counterpart.

"So we'll just be going," _Timmy_ said as the group of twelve stepped outside of the school gates.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Shouldn't we get Rick first?" Flora asked.

Bloom shook her head. "I added an extra spell onto his charm so that when he and Roxy weren't in anymore danger, he'd be returned back to his home."

"Why just Rick?" _Sky_ asked.

"Roxy still needs to work on getting used to using magic as well as controlling it," Tecna answered. "It's best that she stays here to finish up the year before going back home."

Stella took off her ring and threw it up into the air. "Sun Sceptre!"

"So…'Skylar'?" Sky raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

Stella stamped the bottom of her scepter down onto the ground, hard. A light enveloped the group and in a matter of seconds, they were gone with a flash of golden light.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	34. 33- The World in Bewteen

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: I'm really sorry I didn't update very quickly since the last chapter I'd uploaded, but the new term began a few days ago, so I've been occupied with studying and homework. Luckily I finished all of my work in advance and I had no other work to do today, so I decided to finished this up quickly and get it up before I don't get another chance…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~The World in Between~Oo**

-Frutti Music Bar-

(AN: Even though the Winx and the Specialists are no longer at or near Alfea, they're still in another dimension, so I'll still be italicizing the guys' names. But just until they get back to their world.)

"I need two strawberry-kiwi smoothies and a mango-pineapple blend!" _Brandon_ called to Rick and Sky.

"On it!" Rick responded before he and _Sky_ whipped up the order in a matter of seconds.

It had been a little less than a month since the Specialists and the Winx left Alfea for Gardenia. It didn't take too long to find a place to stay or a job for any of them. When Rick heard of their little predicament/escapade, he readily offered the group jobs since Roxy wasn't back and wouldn't be for another month or two. The boys worked as waiters or helped out behind the counter, while the girls provided entertainment. Having done the exact same jobs a little while back in their world, the group was able to catch on as though they'd never left.

"It was really great of you to let us help out around here," _Sky_ told the older man as he placed another drink onto the tray and signaled Brandon for pick-up.

Rick waved off the comment. "It was nothing. You and those girls of yours helped keep my daughter and I safe. It was the least I could do."

He looked up at the six girls who were performing on stage with a soft smile. "Besides, with all of you here, it doesn't feel so lonely without my Roxy."

_Sky_ shot a grin at the older man before getting back to work.

* * *

-Winx Dimension; Infinite Ocean-

"Do you this will really work?" Desiryee asked anxiously.

"It's got to," Serena answered. "Daphne said it could be the only way to get the girls back!"

The other Selkies nodded in agreement before putting their plan into action. Each of the Selkies swam through the Infinite Ocean into the Ocean Gates that lead to their realms.

**_Winx~Club_**

Each of the Selkies remained in front the Ocean Gates in their respective realms. They all concentrated on their bond with their chosen fairy and held their hands out in front of them, towards the Ocean gates.

In a matter of moments, each Selkie began to glow their respective colour. Lemmy, aqua; Desiryee, pink; Serena, fiery-red; Illiris, gold; Lithia, forest-green; and Sonna, magenta.

One by one each of the Selkies began to chant an incantation. The same phrase was repeated over and over until a small ball of light the same colour as the colour they glowed appeared in their hands.

The little spheres of magic shot into the portals and into the Infinite Ocean, where they all connected to each other in a hexagonal shape before the six points of the figure shot out bolts of light to where the centre would have been and connected to form a moderately sized ball of light.

The Selkies struggled to hold onto the connection and control the magic, but it soon became too much for them and collapsed to the ocean floor, unconscious.

The magic that had already been summoned continued without the Selkies, their intentions crystal clear to the magic they'd conjured.

* * *

-Other Dimension; Gardenia Beach-

"Man today was a killer!" _Timmy_ stretched his arms.

"I definitely agree with you there," _Sky_ agreed as he and Brandon carried two trays of drinks over to their friends and the Winx.

Everyone took a drink and sat on the cooling sand as they watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon. The couples leaned into each other, feeling the cooling warmth of the sun's last rays.

The pixies laughed and giggled as they played around in the sand and along the coastline.

"Be careful!" Layla warned. "The tide's gonna pull in soon!"

Suddenly, Musa's head snapped up.

"Musa?" _Riven_ asked. "What's—"

"Something's coming," Musa said loud enough for only the group to hear. "I can hear it! It's coming at us fast!"

Tecna whipped out her mini-computer and began typing away at a rapid pace. "She's right," Tecna said grimly. "There's something headed right for us, but it doesn't seem to be an object or even a person."

"Then what could it be?" Stella asked.

Tecna shook her head. "I don't know; all my computer is picking is a massive magical signature."

The group looked at each other, wondering just what was going on when Bloom spoke up. "Can your computer tell what kind of magic it is?"

The fairy of technology nodded. "Normally it can, but this time it's only picking up on the size of the signature; not the type."

The girls all suddenly stiffened as did _Roy_ and _Helia_.

"It's getting closer!" Stella shivered.

"Look!" _Sky_ shouted pointing out into the horizon where a small speck had suddenly appeared and was steadily growing larger and larger with each passing second.

"Brace yourselves!" _Timmy_ ordered.

Each of the Specialists took one of the girls into the arms to shield them from whatever could be coming at them.

There was large explosion as the object made contact with the group of twelve.

A blinding neon light flashed around them.

And just moments later, they knew no more.

* * *

-The World in Between-

"Ugh," _Riven_ groaned. "What the heck happened?"

"You tell us," Stella moaned in response.

One by one each of the Winx and _Specialists _opened their eyes.

"Okay," Bloom said slowly. "Where are we?"

The group looked around at their surroundings and found themselves floating in a space full of multicoloured sparks, the area around them shifting quickly like images in a kaleidoscope. What was more disconcerting was the fact that they were unable to control

"We seem to be in a sort of suspended world," Tecna observed.

"Meaning?" Layla asked.

"What she means is that we're not in any particular world," _Timmy_ clarified. "But rather it's a sort of connecting place between worlds."

"So how do we get out?" _Brandon _asked as his body slowly turned in a 180 degree angle.

"We'll have to find it, I guess," _Timmy_ shrugged as he struggled to stay upright.

Just then the group heard a cluster of screams coming from another direction.

The girls and boys looked at one another before nodding. They all linked arms and pushed off with their feet in the direction of the screams.

"WOULD SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" came a panicked shout.

"That voice sounds familiar," _Brandon_ murmured.

"I would if I knew where the heck we are!" Another voice snapped.

"I definitely know that one," _Riven_ muttered.

"Stop asking already!" a different voice moaned. "You've been at it for who-knows-how-long!"

It wasn't until a little later that the Winx and the Specialists saw the figures that were the cause of the disturbance. They floated closer to the six figures and gasped when they saw who they were.

The six figures that were the source of the noise were in fact near-exact copies of the Winx.

(AN: I won't be describing the Winx-doppelgangers, so just picture them as they were in their freshman year, clothes, hair and all, while Layla looks as she didn't when she first came to Alfea. Oh and the Winx and the names of the Specialists of their dimension will be in Italics.)

"What the—" _Layla_ blinked.

"What's going on?" _Flora_ asked hesitantly.

"Beats me," _Bloom_ said quietly in awe.

_Tecna _looked closely at their counterparts with a calculating look. "I think…they could be our counterparts from the other dimension," she said slowly.

Everyone turned to _Tecna_ at that.

"How?" _Helia_ asked.

"Well, if we were sent to their dimension," _Tecna_ explained, "it would make sense for the 'us' there to be sent somewhere else."

"But they weren't in our world," _Sky_ pointed out. "Since you girls were sent to that world, should these girls have taken your places in our dimension?"

_Tecna_ nodded. "That should have been the case, but if you didn't see them in our world, then I believe they could have been sent into a different dimension with our counterparts in other dimensions being shifted around in the process."

"But that still—" _Brandon_ began to say when he was cut off by a loud gasp.

The group of twelve turned to the six girls that were floating around helplessly and found them staring at them with large eyes and dropped jaws.

"Okay, what's going on?" Layla asked.

"Um," _Bloom_ said nervously, "We're you…but from another dimension…"

The Winx of the other dimension just blinked at the explanation before five of the six fairies turned to their Tecna.

"Well?" Stella asked.

"Is what they're saying true?" Bloom asked.

"_Can_ it be true?" Musa wondered.

Tecna looked at the Winx and Specialists with the same calculating look their _Tecna_ had used just moments before. "It's certainly quite possible, considering what's happened to us."

"Excuse me," _Flora_ interrupted, "But if I may, what _did_ happen to you?"

The girls looked at each other before Musa began to speak. "Well, we were in the Magical Reality Chamber for some test because we just got our Charmix and we really needed to catch up with everyone else. But right in the middle of the test, there was some flash of light and the next thing we knew, the six of us were floating around in here."

"So wait, you _didn't_ get sent into some other world or something?" _Stella_ asked.

Flora shook her head. "We've been stuck in here trying to find some way out for a while now. You're the first people we've seen here since we've been here."

"Unfortunately," Tecna picked up, "we wouldn't be able to tell you just how long we've been stuck in here. Time apparently doesn't flow in this place."

"Interesting…" _Tecna_ murmured.

"But what are you guys doing here?" Bloom asked.

"We were cursed by three witches, but their spell backfired," _Layla_ explained. "We were sent to your world and it looks like we were switched in while you guys were switched out during that flash of light you saw in the Magical Reality Chamber."

"What's been going on over there?" Stella asked. "We were getting worried about our families…"

"There were a few…hiccups," _Musa_ said slowly, "but everyone's fine now. Your families are safe, though, if that helps."

"'Hiccups'?" Layla raised an eyebrow.

The girls grinned sheepishly and began to explain what had been happening in that dimension since they came there and why. They also explained, at the girls' insistence, about the event that happened in their own dimension, comparing them to what happened didn't in the other and why.

"Whoa," Musa whistled. "You guys look like you've had a wild time…"

"Wait," Layla broke in, "You said that you used your Enchantix, Believix and Sirenix _in front_ of the Alfea and Red Fountain students?"

The _Winx_ winced and nodded.

"And they _didn't_ know that _you_ weren't _us_?" Tecna clarified, catching onto Layla's train of thought.

The _Winx _nodded.

"It was a risk we had to take," Bloom tried justifying their actions. "It was to either reveal ourselves or let the Magical Dimension either be destroyed or thrown into complete chaos!"

Musa and Flora nodded. "I guess you have a point there," the fairy of music admitted. "But what are we supposed to do now? You showed them those advanced forms and magic and now everyone'll be asking just why we've been pretending to be weak!"

"I know you had good intentions," Flora said, "but Musa's right. What can we do now? We can't show anyone something we can't do."

The _Winx_ let go of the boys and floated off together towards their counterparts.

"Everything'll be fine," _Bloom_ told her counterpart.

"You'll see," _Flora_ smiled.

Each of the girls took their counterpart's hand into their own as an act of comfort. But no one had expected what happened next.

A white light began to erupt from between the _Winx's_ hands and those of their counterparts'. The light crackled like electricity over their forms as the glow spread over their bodies.

Frightened at what could be happening to their girls, the Specialists tried to hover over to them, only to be repelled by whatever magic was at work.

Suddenly, the girls all began to scream and shout, but whether it was in pain or shock, no one could tell. The boys watched helplessly as typhoon of energy swirled around the girls, white electricity crackling around them. It all ended with a loud bang when the magic exploded with a blinding flash of light.

The _Specialists_ closed their eyes to avoid being blinded by the bright light and opened them once more when they were sure it had died down.

Worried, the boys looked over to the girls and found both sets in their Sirenix forms.

"What just happened?" _Brandon_ scratched his head.

"I think somehow when our girls touched those girls," _Timmy_ explained, "They must have shared their magic, giving the other girls a way to access their Enchantix, Believix, and Sirenix forms and probably the others in between."

"Are you girls okay?" _Riven_ asked as he and his friends floated over to their girls, who had now returned to their civilian forms.

"We're fine," _Musa_ answered.

"We just feel a little…" _Stella_ trailed off.

"Charged up?" _Layla _supplied?

The _Winx_ nodded.

"We definitely feel stronger," Bloom commented, flexing her new wings curiously.

"That's because we _have_ gotten stronger," Tecna confirmed. "When we touched our counterparts, our magic must have copied the level they're at. Thus the reason why we're in the Sirenix form and can access the pervious forms and magic as well."

"So what happens now?" Flora asked.

"I think I have a very good idea!" _Bloom_ said pointing to all of them.

Everyone looked down at themselves, only to find their forms slowly becoming transparent from their feet up.

"What's happening?" _Brandon_ asked.

"We must be getting pulled back into our own worlds!" _Tecna_ said quickly.

"But why now?" Layla asked.

"I don't know," _Tecna_ said. "Magic has its secrets and I don't think we'll ever figure everything out about it."

"Thank you!" the Winx of the other world shouted as their forms dissipated. "Stay safe!"

"You're welcome!" _Bloom_ shouted.

"We will!" _Musa_ said at the same time.

And with that said, both groups were gone from the mysterious realm.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	35. 34- Back to Where They Belong

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: I know I was late with this but I also have other work I need to do, so I'll only be uploading chapters whenever I have time (after I've finished my work that is). In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Back to Where they Belong~Oo**

-Winx Dimension; Infinite Ocean-

In an area of the Infinite Ocean, there was a large area that was surrounded by a massive coral reef colony, where many fishes and different magical organisms were going about their day as usual.

Or they had been, until a bright flash of light came as quickly as went above the area.

When the light died down, there were the Winx in their Sirenix forms and the Specialists.

"Okay," Stella said slowly. "Where the heck are we _now_?"

"I think we might be in the Infinite Ocean," Layla said looking at their surroundings.

"Then does that mean we're home?" Musa asked.

"Maybe," Bloom answered. "But we can't take any chances."

"What the heck happened to me?!" the girls heard Brand shout.

"You?" They heard Riven say. "What about me? What about all of us? We're fish!"

That got the Winx's attention and they turned in the direction of where the boys' voices were coming from and their jaws dropped.

There in the place of the six Specialists were six fish, each a different colour and type.

* * *

(AN: I probably won't be able to describe the boys very well like this, so I'll try my best to get a small drawing done to show how each of them look and post them on my DeviantArt page, whose link is available on my profile.)

Sky had been turned into a pale-gold fish with cerulean eyes. His fins were a shade darker than the pale-gold of his scales while there were two strands of his dorsal fin hanging around his face.

**_Winx~Club_**

Brandon had light-brown scales and emerald eyes. His fins were a shade darker than his scales, bit his dorsal fin was sort of flipped and hung over the right side of his body.

**_Winx~Club_**

Riven had magenta scales making his narrowed navy eyes standing out. His fins were a shade lighter than his scales while his dorsal fin was pointed back stiffly.

**_Winx~Club_**

Timmy was an orange-scaled fish with, funnily enough, his glasses over his brown eyes perched on where his nose should have been. His fins were a shade darker than his scales while his dorsal fin hung over his right side much like Brandon.

**_Winx~Club_**

Helia was a navy-hued fish with eyes of the same shade. His fins were two shades lighter than his scales while his dorsal fin was slung over the left side of his body with it hanging down to just below his body in a curl.

**_Winx~Club_**

Roy was a yellowish-white fish with fins a shade or two darker and the mark of the Triton Force was etched onto the left side of his body. His dorsal fin was spiked but speared up stiffly like Riven's.

* * *

The girls blinked in silence.

Stella snorted softly before the six fairies burst out into laughter.

A slight flush appeared on the fishes' faces in embarrassment, making the girls laugh even harder than before.

"H-How did th-this h-happen?" Musa gasped out.

"What did you do?!" Stella squealed as she went over to the fish she assumed to be her boyfriend.

"We didn't _do_ anything!" Riven snapped, flushed. "One minute we're human and we feel like we're floating or something and the next, we end up looking like this!"

Unable to hold it back, the girls burst into laughter once more, though this time the boys' waited until they calmed down to get some answers.

"You done?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah we're done," Bloom said, wiping away a tear.

"So do you know what happened to us?" Timmy directed his question at Tecna.

The fairy of technology looked at the fishes and stifled a giggle, but thought over their problem nevertheless.

"I suppose it could have something to do with the nature of the Infinite Ocean," Tecna hummed, "seeing as only certain beings are allowed here."

"But that still doesn't explain why we're fish," Sky pointed out.

"Actually it kinda does," Musa joined in. "Think about it, the only reason we're able to enter this realm is because of our Sirenix. The Trix can come here because of their copied versions of our powers while Tritannus can enter this place because he's a merman."

"I think it was because we were transported directly to the Infinite Ocean that you became what you are," Tecna explained. "You don't have the power to sustain yourselves, neither to enter the Infinite Ocean, so the magic that brought us here, must have tried to compensate for that, thus turning you into—**giggle**—fish."

"So is there a way to turn us back?" Helia asked.

"We could try a Convergence," the fairy of technology said slowly, "but it might not have the desired results…"

"Just try something," Roy pleaded. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we don't want to be stuck as fish!"

The girls looked at each other amusedly before turning back to the boys—er fish and nodding in assent.

The Winx linked their hands around the fish and closed their eyes. Each girl glowed their respective colour before they all mingled and soon the group was glowing multiple colours. "Sirenix Convergence!" They said in unison.

A bolt of light hit the boys, but nothing happened. And so the girls continued to feed more power into the spell.

It wasn't until a few moments later that they had managed to extract a reaction. The boys began to glow a multicoloured hue lighting up their forms, nearly blinding the girls as their bodies morphed.

When the light died away, there were the six Specialists, not as fish, but as mermen.

The group blinked.

"Well, this is unexpected," Helia stated.

"Unexpected?" Layla said in disbelief. "That's the understatement of the century!"

"I don't get it," Flora spoke, "What happened? Shouldn't they have been returned to their human form? Why did they turn into Mermen?"

Tecna thought for a moment as she looked over the six Specialists. "I think it might have to do with the properties of the Infinite Ocean," she explained. "Remember, the Infinite Ocean is just that, an ocean, but with many magical properties and secrets. And if you recall, the only reason we're able to enter this realm is because of our Sirenix. The Trix can come here because of their copied versions of our powers while Tritannus can enter this place because he's a Merman.

"Because we're still in the Infinite Ocean, its magical properties are still in effect. You were turned into fish to compensate for the lack of magical ability to sustain yourselves here, but when we tried to turn you back into humans, it didn't work because the realm's magic interfered again, turning you into Mermen to, once again, help sustain yourselves here."

"So what does that mean for us?" Sky asked. "How are we supposed to become human again?"

"I think we need to be outside of the Infinite Ocean to turn you back into humans," Tecna answered after a moment. "It seems that while here, you will be Mermen, or maybe even fish, depending on how the magic of this realm decides to act."

"So then shouldn't w—" Brandon began.

"MUSA!"

"FLORA!"

"BLOOM!"

"STELLA!"

"TECNA!"

"LAYLA!"

The girls looked towards the source of the squeals and shouts when they were tackled by six energetic selkies.

"We're so glad you're back!" Illirs said.

"We were really worried!" Lemmy added.

"Okay, okay, hold on guys," Musa said, placating the frantic selkies. "Now, calm down. We're fine and now you know it, but what's been happening over here?"

"Tritannus hasn't been seen since you all disappeared," Desiryee replied. "So we don't know what he's been up to."

"Do you know how we got back?" Tecna asked suddenly.

"Daphne helped us, but we used our magic to bring you home," Serena reported.

"So that's what happened…" Flora trailed off.

"You guys really need to go back to Alfea," Lithia told the group of twelve. "Even though Tritannus hasn't made a move since you all disappeared, it's better to be prepared than not."

"That and you might want to let Ms. Faragonda and your families that you're all right," Sonna added.

The group agreed and went on their way to Alfea.

* * *

-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

"Are you sure there is nothing more on the spell?" Faragonda asked Concorda.

The Pixie Elder of Alfea shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that whatever we found about the spell so far was it. If there was anything else, then that information must have been destroyed. Neither Discorda nor I have found anything more on the subject."

Faragonda sighed sadly. "Then there is no way to bring the girls and boys back?"

Concorda shook her head once more. "No, at this point we can only hope for a miracle."

"Then stop hoping!" a familiar voice shouted. "'Cause we're back!"

The headmistress and the pixie elder looked up in shock as recognition shone in their eyes.

There stood the Winx and the Specialists standing in the doorway of Faragonda's office with grins and smiles of all sizes on their faces.

Faragonda slowly stood form her desk, hoping with all her heart that what she was seeing was true and not an apparition or a trick. "Is it really you?" she whispered.

The girls nodded tearfully as they all tackled the elder woman into a tight, warm, and _real_ embrace. It was then that the headmistress knew that the girls with her were her girls and returned the hug full force.

"But how?" Faragonda asked when they all extracted themselves from one another. "What happened?"

"You'll need to sit down," Bloom smiled gently as she led the headmistress to her seat behind her desk.

"And because our story's gonna take a while," Musa said snapping her fingers. "We should all take a seat." Twelve chairs materialized in the office in which each of the group took a seat.

Once everyone was situated correctly, the girls began to tell their story with the boys interjecting to add a few details of their own story here and there.

**_Winx~Club_**

"My you girls certainly have been busy," Faragonda sat back in her seat.

"Can we ask you something, Ms. F?" Flora asked.

"You just did," Faragonda teased before nodding. "Go ahead."

"How long has it been since we 'disappeared'?" the fairy of nature inquired curiously.

"It has been nearly seven months since you've been gone," the headmistress blinked. "Why?"

"Because only about two months at the most what we were in that other dimension," Tecna answered.

"What?" Faragonda sat up straight.

Tecna nodded. "It seems that the flow of time between dimensions is warped because from what we've heard, time passes quicker here than it did where we were sent."

Faragonda thought about the matter for a moment before nodding in agreement. "You're right; it's the only explanation as to why you girls don't look as changed as I thought you would have been."

It was then that the headmistress remembered something important. "Have you informed your families of your return?"

The girls and boys blinked for a moment before their eyes widened in panic and realization.

"Oh no!" Stella squealed. "Daddy and Mom must be worried out of their minds!" she zipped out of the room, presumably to see her parents.

"_My_ Dad's probably in his depression funk," Musa said worriedly, stepping out of the room next.

Sky charged out of the room after her. "_My _dad's probably blown his top by now!"

One by one each of the group of twelve rushed out of the room to go and see their families, shouting over each other in panic over the reactions their loved ones might have.

Faragonda just chuckled and shook her head fondly. "Oh girls, where would your heads be if not attached to you?"

* * *

-Other Dimension; Alfea; Headmistress' Office-

Faragonda was sitting in her office, speaking with Saladin through the holo-globe, when a flash of light appeared in her office, but went as quickly as it'd come.

The headmistress blinked in confusion before she heard several familiar voices.

"Oww," a voice groaned.

"Stella, you're cutting off all circulation in my legs!"

"Well I'm sorry, but _Tecna's_ lying on _my hair_!"

Faragonda looked over her desk and saw the six [formerly] missing students. "Girls! What on earth are you doing?" She couldn't tell anyone how, but she somehow _knew_ that these six girls were the six that had stepped out of her office just a few short weeks before.

The six fairies untangled themselves from one another and stood before the headmistress.

"Um," Bloom said awkwardly. "We can explain."

And they did. From how they were in the middle of their test inside the Magical Reality Chamber when suddenly they were pulled into another dimension where time didn't flow up to the point where they met their counterparts and ended up back in their world.

"Well, first of all," Faragonda said gently, "May I be the first to welcome you back home and tell you that I'm glad that you six have come back safe and sound."

"But what do we do now?" Musa asked. "The 'us' from that other world told us that the Alfea _and_ Red Fountain students all saw their Sirenix and Enchantix forms!"

"That might not be very hard to pull off, actually," Flora reminded the fairy of music.

Layla's eyes widened. "The Magic Transfer…"

Tecna nodded. "Because of it, we should be able to access the same forms and magic as out counterparts did."

Hearing this Faragonda sat up straighter in her seat. "Is this true?" she asked.

The girls nodded. "Let's go: Sirenix!"

In a matter of seconds, six Sirenix fairies took the place of the six students before the headmistress.

"Incredible…" Faragonda said quietly in awe. "But how is this possible?"

Tecna answered this as she explained what had happened when the girls of both dimensions touched and how they had somehow been able to copy the magic and forms of their counterparts.

"Well, this saves us quite a bit of magic," Faragonda commented. "The staff and I believed that once you girls returned, we would have needed to perform a powerful, long-range mind-altering spell to avoid any questions that we wouldn't be able to answer."

"But what if someone asks us why we acted weak?" Bloom asked.

"I guess we could say that we didn't want the attention," Stella shrugged.

The girls looked at the sun fairy oddly before glancing at each other.

"What?" the blonde fairy asked.

"Did that Magic Transfer affect her mind?" Musa whispered to Tecna.

"I'm not entirely sure," Tecna muttered back.

Stella seemed to have realized the reason for the stares and glared at her friends. "I'll have you know that I know just as much as the rest of you, thank you very much! _Especially_ when it comes to fashion!"

The girls sighed in relief. "Now _that's_ the Stella we know," Layla smiled.

* * *

-Sparx; Royal Palace; Council Room-

The rulers of each of the magical realms stood in the large room, arguing over one another about what to do about Tritannus and what had happened to the Winx and Specialists.

"I say we track down Tritannus and destroy him!" the king of Delona shouted. "It's the only way to prevent the collapse of the Magical Universe!"

"And how do you propose we do _that_?" The King of Sparx asked. "We don't even know how to _find_ him!"

"Then what _should_ we do?" The King of Andros spoke. "Tritannus hasn't been spotted, and the girls, who are the only way to find Tritannus, are missing."

"We ally ourselves with each other," King Radius answered. "With a united front, Tritannus cannot hope to harm any of the realms. Even though we don't know where he is or what he may be doing, the only chance we have to save ourselves and our realms is to keep our guard up. And if the only way to do it is with help, then so be it."

A woman scowled and opened her mouth, most likely to refute what the King of Solaria had suggested, when a large flash of light appeared in the room, causing all in attendance to shield their eyes, lest they wished to be blinded.

When the light died away, the entire room gasped when they saw the Winx in their Sirenix form as well as the five missing Red Fountain boys with Prince Sky of Eraklyon.

"King Radius is right," Sky said, looking around at the shocked faces. "The only chance we have to stop Tritannus right now is to stand together. It's just as the Earth saying goes: United we stand, divided we fall."

The Royals of the realms only continued to look at the group of twelve in shock, with dropped jaws and wide eyes, not willing to believe that they weren't just an apparition.

Musa rolled her eyes before she brought her hands up in the air and clapped thrice, sending out magic with each sound to amplify it, snapping the royals out of their stupor.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Where have you been?" Queen Miriam asked, stepping up to gather her daughter into an embrace.

"Never worry us like that ever again, Young Lady," Oritel muttered as he hugged his family, "Or I'll have you confined to the castle until I know you'll never leave again."

"Father," Bloom giggled tearfully.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Do you know how worried your mother and I were?" Radius said as he grabbed his daughter into his arms, which was quickly followed by a hug from Queen Luna.

"Thank the moon and stars," Luna murmured as she breathed in the sunny fragrance of her daughter's hair.

"Mom," Stella smiled. "Dad."

**_Winx~Club_**

"Thank the heavens you're back," Queen Niobe of Andros whispered as she and her husband gripped their daughter tightly to them.

Teredor gave a stiff nod to Roy who bowed his head in response, understanding the meaning behind the gesture.

"Did you really doubt me?" Layla asked teasingly.

Her parents said nothing as they clutched their daughter closer to them.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Helia!" Krystal squealed. "You're all right!" She ran up to the navy-haired Specialist, with the intent of catching him into an embrace.

Helia, having seen this reaction and Flora's uncomfortable expression, stepped back as the Princess of Linphea stepped forward and grabbed his girlfriend to him, her back to his chest with his arms around her waist.

"Helia?" The lavender-haired princess asked softly, seeing the two in such a position.

"Krystal," Helia nodded in greeting, but not stepping away from Flora. If anything, he gripped Flora closer to him.

The nature fairy stifled a gasp as she looked up at her boyfriend and then at the princess of her realm. Flora watched as the lavender-haired fairy gained an angry and hurt gleam in her eyes. _'I don't think this is going to turn out very well…'_

"Helia, what's going on?" Krystal demanded. "Why are you grabbing onto Flora like that? Like you're together or something?"

"That's because we are," Helia told the Princess of Linphea gently. "Flora and I have been together for a little over two years now."

Krystal shook her head in denial. "No, you're wrong," she said in disbelief, "you said you were friends, remember?"

Helia shook his head this time. "I know what I said, Krystal," he told her, "and back then I don't even think I was thinking before I spoke. I love Flora and she will be the only one I love so long as she'll have me."

"But what about—I thought—" Krystal stumbled over her words as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Krystal," Helia apologized, "but you knew I didn't feel the same about you as you did me. I tried telling you over and over, but you just wouldn't listen. I really am sorry, but I love Flora."

Tears cascaded down the face of the Linphean Princess as she ran out of the Council Room.

Helia and Flora turned as one towards the Queen of Linphea. "I really am sorry, Queen Delia."

Queen Delia of Linphea only smiled sadly at them before turning her face in the direction Krystal had run off to. "I warned her not to get her hopes up," the Queen of Linphea shook her head. "But that girl is just so stubborn. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you, Helia, that you weren't meant for my daughter, but for another." She smiled gently at Flora. "And I see that you've found her."

"Queen Delia…" Flora said.

"Don't feel bad, my dear," Delia said. "Krystal has always gotten what she has always wanted and isn't used to being rejected. I suppose that is a mistake on my part; ever since my husband passed on, I've done all I could to keep my daughter happy. She is a wonderful princess, but she is still a growing girl that has much to learn." She looked at the couple as a whole. "You both have my blessings and best wishes."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Flora curtsied and Helia bowed.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Well?" King Erendor demanded. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Only that I'm not sorry for what I did, Father," Sky answered.

"You d—" Erendor was cut off by his son.

"Yes, I dare," Sky retorted. "I dare because the girl I loved was taken away into some unknown place. I dare because you don't listen to reason. And I dare because you placed Diaspro as the King's Liaison, giving her power over me. You never noticed that she's been abusing the power her position grants her to control me and by relation, you."

"Sky!" Diaspro said in shock. "That's not true! And don't speak to your father like that!"

"'It's not true?'" Sky repeated laughingly. "You were the one who continued to use your position to interfere with my relationship with Bloom. You tried to take advantage of my memory loss by making it seem like you were the most important person in my memories! You were the one who interfered when Bloom suggested that we create an alliance, you stepped in and stopped it from happening! You keep using you position to do whatever you want whenever you want, especially when it involves either Bloom or I!"

"And why shouldn't I speak to my father like this?" Sky asked. "If I can't reason with him, maybe opening his eyes to the truth will help him _see _the truth! And the truth is that we must stand _together_ to defeat Tritannus!"

Erendor was silent, while Diaspro fumed.

"This is all _your_ fault!" The Princess of Isis lashed out at Bloom. "You took him away from me! And now you're poisoning his mind with all this nonsense about alliances!"

"Diaspro!" Erendor barked as Queen Samara gasped at the blonde's words. "Be silent!"

"Why should I?" Diaspro retorted, forgetting her place. "She's poisoning everyone's minds here with that goody-goody act and I'm the only one that can see it!"

"That's because you hate Bloom because I love her," Sky said. "Because you hate Bloom, you can't see the wonderful person she is and that she isn't the kind of person you're making her out to be. Though I would admit that what you thought about Bloom is what anyone that's met and known you would think of _you_."

Diaspro only huffed and turned away.

It was this that

"Diaspro!" Erendor said loudly. "I gave you a duty to fulfill, only to find that you haven't been doing it for the best interests of Eraklyon, but for your own greed." He plucked the badge from her armor that proclaimed her as the King's Liaison. "I hereby revoke that which I bestowed upon you."

The fairy of gems gasped, appalled. "You'll pay for this! You all will!" She started to walk in the direction she assumed was the exit.

"Uh you might want to—" Musa called out.

The fairy of music was cut off as the former fiancée of Sky tumbled into the pool of water with a shriek.

"Can't say I didn't try to warn her," Musa shrugged as she and her friends snickered under their breaths.

"Well, Father?" Sky asked. "What will you do?"

Erendor looked to his wife who gave him a gentle smile and a nod before turning back to his son. "First, I m—"

"Look!" One of the many royals shouted, pointing into the water pool where Nereus and Tressa were in.

A small cluster of bubbles began to appear in the water and small ripples spread out from it, growing larger and larger until they were roughly the size of a basketball.

Everyone got their weapons out and held them at the ready while the Winx were in the air with their power swirling in their palms to attack if necessary.

The entire Council Room was surprised when the Selkie Gatekeeper of Earth popped out from the centre of the ripples.

"Phylla?" Flora asked. "What are you doing here?"

"We found Tritannus," the Selkie answered. "He's on Earth."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	36. 35- Saving Paradise Bay

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: All right as a heads up, this chapter and I think probably the next will be pretty close to the events of what happens during and after the Paradise Bay episode. I'll be adding in my own little bits here and there as well, but I think depending on my thought process most should be pretty close to the episode. Unfortunately, this isn't very long…

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Saving Paradise Bay~Oo**

-Sparx; Royal Palace; Council Room-

"Earth?" King Erendor asked. "Why would he be on Earth?"

"Because of Earth's polluted oceans," Bloom said in realization. "Tritannus gets his tainted power from the ocean pollution he absorbs." She looked at her friends. "He's trying to become stronger."

"Is that where he's been the entire time?" Tecna asked.

Phylla shook her head. "I don't know," she answered. "My dolphins and I only found him when we saw a really big patch of pollution being _created_ in Paradise Bay. I think Icy's been creating more and more pollution to help Tritannus grow stronger."

"What about Darsi and Stormy?" Riven asked.

Phylla shrugged. "I didn't see them with Tritannus and Icy, so I guess maybe they're not together anymore?"

"Or maybe they knew something Icy didn't," Layla mused. "Let's face it: Icy thinks that Tritannus actually likes her. But we all know that he's only using her until he thinks she's not needed anymore. Darsi and Stormy must have realized this and left him."

"That makes it a little easier for us, I guess," Stella commented.

"But the fact still remains that we need to confront Tritannus as soon as possible," Bloom said.

"Tritannus is a threat to all of us so we must attack together!" Sky urged. "We have to stop him; now! I'll personally volunteer lead an attack!"

"I move that we immediately assemble a force to attack Tritannus on Earth led by Prince Sky of Eraklyon!" Oritel announced. "All in favour!"

Shouts of agreement ran through the entire room.

"Wait!" Phylla called out.

"What's the matter, Sweetie?" Flora asked.

"How do we get rid of all the pollution in Paradise Bay?" the Selkie of Earth asked.

"There is one way," Nereus said. "With the Breath of the Ocean, the pollution should be cleared and Paradise Bay should be restored."

Tressa nodded. "The Breath of the Ocean has the ability to restore damaged waters. If it can be found, that is."

"We'll find it," Bloom vowed. She turned to Sky. "Can you and the Task Force hold off Tritannus long enough for us to get there?"

The blonde prince nodded. He knew that they had no hope of completely defeating Tritannus or his mutant minions without magic, more specifically, the magic of the Winx as they were the only ones strong enough to take on the mutated merman.

* * *

-Earth; Paradise Bay-

"With the amount of pollution here no one will be able to stop me!" Tritannus gloated as he absorbed more and more of the pollution.

Icy only giggled happily as she watched her 'boyfriend' grow stronger by means of the tainted energy. Her amusement was halted when he looked behind the mutant merman. "Uh-oh, company…"

Tritannus turned around and saw several Specialists on LeviBikes, a large Red Fountain ship and several of Zenith's TechnoDroids.

"Alliance Task Force: Commence Attack!" Sky ordered.

"There's too many of them!" Icy said panicked.

"They call _that_ an army?" Tritannus chuckled. He stirred his trident in the polluted waters and watched as the water briefly glowed green before the mermaid/merman mutants broke the water's surface. "Mutants: Attack!"

And with that command, the mutants and the Alliance Task Force went to battle.

* * *

-Winx; Above the Infinite Ocean-

"So what are we looking or again?" Stella asked as she and her friends zoomed through the air in the Sirenix Forms.

"It's an Island World where the Breath of the Ocean was last rumored to have been in," Tecna reminded the sun fairy.

"But how are we supposed to know where it is?" Musa asked. "We've been flying around in random directions, but we haven't found, let alone seen anything yet."

The girls halted at that. It was true, they had only been going in random directions up until Musa had pointed it out, but that was because they didn't know what else to do.

"I think I have an idea," Flora spoke up.

The girls turned to the nature fairy and nodded for her to go on.

"Could you all Channel a little bit of your Sirenix energy to me?" Flora asked. "I can try to find the voice of nature here and find the island."

The girls shrugged. "It's better than going around in circles," Bloom nodded. "Let's do it."

One by one each of the girls pointed a palm at the nature fairy who stood tall, and shot a bolt of their Sirenix magic at the nature fairy.

Flora closed her eyes and fought to control and maneuver the energy that had been absorbed into her body. She felt her magic reach out to find any source of nature that wasn't aquatic life in the world of the Infinite Ocean. It wasn't long before the nature fairy felt the familiar voice of nature call to her.

"I found it!" Flora exclaimed zooming off in the direction her magic directed her, her friends following behind.

A little while later, the six fairies came upon a large star-shaped island, however, it wasn't as they thought it would be. The island they'd imagined to be full of life was desolate and barren with no sign of life in sight.

"This doesn't look like a place the Breath of the Ocean would be found," Layla said, "I thought it would be more, you know…"

"Vibrant?" Musa suggested. "But Layla's right, why is the island like this?"

"You have to remember the Sirenix Curse," Bloom reminded them. "When the Curse took effect, the levels of the Infinite Ocean dropped drastically. Before that, the island was completely submerged in the Infinite Ocean."

The girls were silent.

"Well, let's get going," Layla said, "The Breath of the Ocean won't look for itself, you know?"

"But where do we start?" Stella asked. "This place is huge!"

"We don't have to," Tecna replied. "From what I remember, the Breath of the Ocean is an ancient magical artifact that can only be used by those it deems worthy. We just need to wish for the Breath of the Ocean to come to us. If it does, then it knows that we're right to use it, if it doesn't, then it doesn't approve."

"And what do we do then?"Flora asked.

"The only thing we _can_ do," Tecna replied. "Take down Tritannus and do whatever we can to clear up Paradise Bay without the Breath of the Ocean and hope that it helps."

"Wait, so that thing's alive?" Musa asked.

Tecna hummed. "Not really," she said slowly. "It's more like, it's made up of magic, very ancient magic actually, and it's that very magic that gave it a sort of…conscious."

"So it's not alive?" Stella confirmed.

The rest of the girls resisted the urge to slap their foreheads in exasperation and amusement.

"Not in the way you're thinking, Stella," Bloom answered.

With that the girls all nodded and clasped hands together, their eyes closed, and wishing with all their hearts.

_"Please Breath of the Ocean, we need your help. Please come to us!"_

The girls opened their eyes after a few moments and watched and listened for something, anything that said that the Breath of the Ocean would come to them.

But nothing happened.

There was no glow or flash of light; there wasn't even a slight breeze anywhere in sight. As simple and disappointing as it was to know, there was no sign of the Breath of the Ocean.

"I guess we were rejected?" Musa asked quietly.

The other girls only sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go and catch up with the guys," Bloom said. "We'll be able to do more there than we can over here right now."

"But what about the Breath of the Ocean?" Flora asked.

"We'll do what Tecna said," Bloom reminded her, "we'll just clean up Paradise Bay and hope for the best."

And with that said, the fairies headed off to where they knew they would be needed. But, had they looked back once more, they'd have seen a small ball of light appear before fading away as quickly as it'd appeared.

* * *

-Earth; Paradise Bay-

The Alliance Task Force was doing all they could to fight against the Tritannus' mutant army.

The Specialists knocked back as many of the mutants as he could, but to no avail. As soon as the current mutants were knocked out, more would just take their place until the ones from before were back up again and joined in on the fray.

"Frozen Barricade!" Icy called as she created a thick, large wall of ice with jagged edges sticking out of it.

"Go wide!" Riven ordered Timmy as the two crisscrossed over each other and went around the barricade.

"What the—" Icy sputtered before growling. "Freezing Vortex!" She shot out a large twister of snowflakes and ice shards from both hands in whatever direction she saw a target, never keeping her attention on just one person.

Sky shouted in alarm when the back of his LeviBike was caught just barely from Icy's attack and was now falling from the weight of the large frozen crystals.

The blonde prince tried to get off of the vehicle only to find that his right leg was iced to it, keeping him in place.

"I got ya!" Brandon called as he swiped his sword along the ice binding Sky to his LeviBike before taking the blonde prince onto his own.

"Thanks," Sky told his friend.

"No problem," Brandon winked. "Now, what do say we do a little…_fishing_?"

Sky smirked. "Let's."

And with that, both Specialists whipped out their PhantoBlades and started swiping at the mutants, keeping in mind that they were still mermaids and mermen of Andros. The duo struck the mutants (Sky striking the left and Brandon the right) enough so that they wouldn't be able to fight any longer, but not enough to put them in danger of dying.

Brandon, however, somehow managed to nick Tritannus' face, just below his right eye, creating a shallow three inch long cut on his right cheek.

The mutated merman cried out of pain and outrage as he covered his cheek, find to his relief that there was no blood, but knew that the cut would leave a permanent mark.

Icy, seeing her 'boyfriend' in pain let out a shout in anger and recklessly fired off bolts of ice in any and all directions, not caring for who or what she was hitting. Unfortunately, through her reckless rampage, the witch had left herself wide open to attacks from any angle the she wasn't firing in.

It was because of this that she never saw the bolt of fire aimed at her and only noticed it when she was hit.

"Icy!" Tritannus shouted.

"Oh…" was all Icy let out before she fell unconscious, straight into the mutated merman's arms.

"As much as I hate doing stuff like that," a voice commented, "I kinda _had_ to do it."

Tritannus growled and gave a shout of anger when he saw the Winx floating a few metres behind him.

"Retreat!" the mutated merman shouted.

At once, Tritannus' army disappeared within seconds with the evil mastermind himself leaving only after gathering Icy safely to him.

"Is it me or did it just look like Tritannus actually cared for Icy?" Stella asked.

Musa shook her head. "He's probably just using her and she probably doesn't know it."

It was right then that the Specialists flew up to the fairies.

"So did you get that thing you girls were looking for?" Brandon asked.

The girls shook their heads sadly.

"We couldn't get it," Flora said. "The Breath of the Ocean was supposed to test us to see if we were worthy of using it, but I guess we just didn't fit in with whatever the conditions were."

"So what do we do now?" Riven asked.

"We clean this place up the old fashioned way," Bloom answered.

"We can clean up the junk and any other solid pollution we can find," Helia said, "but what about the liquid pollution that's already been mixed into the Bay and the tainted magic infecting the waters?"

"We can try to use the fairy from our Enchantix since it's supposed to dispel dark magic," Layla suggested. "But I don't think it'll do much good. The Breath of the Ocean was what we needed for this since it's the only thing around that can restore any body of water to its natural and healthy state."

"Then I guess we better get started," Timmy winced, looking at the mess that Tritannus and Icy left them to clean up.

And so over what felt like five or six hours, but was really three, the entire Alliance Task Force, the Selkies, and the Winx cleaned up as much of Paradise Bay as they could.

(AN: I just realized that I haven't mentioned the pixies since the girls returned to their dimension. I may or may not elaborate on this point a little more later, but when the girls returned with the guys, the pixies did as well, but instead of appearing where the girls and guys did, they were transported back to Pixie Village.)

"Well, that's that," Stella said as she made the last batch of the physical pollution disappear into sparks with a snap of her fingers.

"But the Bay doesn't look any better than it did before," Flora pointed out worriedly.

"Then I guess we'll just have to try the Fairy Dust," Tecna sighed.

"Let's go: Enchantix!" the girls chorused in unison.

In a matter of moments and six sparkly transformations later, there stood—floated?—the Winx in their Enchantix forms.

Much like they did with Valtor in the other dimension, the girls linked hands and flew in a rapid circle until only a golden ring could been seen in place of the girls.

"Enchantix Convergence!" the girls shouted as they stopped flying, leaving behind the golden ring, which increased until it was thrice its original size. Slowly, a transparent sheen covered the inside of the ring with intricate golden designs etched into it began to appear, looking much like the spell circles magic users in stories utilized.

The girls flew over the ring and began to flap their wings as rapidly as they could to release their fairy dust. Along with that, they opened their little phials of fairy dust and poured them into the ring.

The Task Force, excluding the TechnoDroids, watched in awe as the ring began to rotate slowly in place, scattering the golden fairy dust in a pinwheel-like motion over the entire Bay and those in it.

The injured were healed and the unconscious revived, but the water, it seemed, had only grown darker.

"Something's wrong!" Sky called up to the Winx. "The water's not clearing up!"

Hearing this, the girls stopped showering their fairy dust and reverted back to their Sirenix forms, dispelling the Convergence ring along with it.

"What's going on?" Stella asked, looking around at the water with a horrified gaze. "Our Fairy Dust should've worked!"

"I don't know," Tecna shook her head. "There must be something in the water that had an adverse effect, counteracting the Fairy Dust and making the water like…this."

The girls thought for a moment, as did the Specialists. Just then, Layla and Roy's eyes widened.

"The liquid pollution!" both exclaimed.

"Of course," Bloom said in understanding.

"The liquid pollution that's mixed in with the water and the toxic energy must have reacted badly to the Fairy Dust, polluting the water even more," Layla explained.

"Then what do we do now?" Musa asked. "Anything we try could end up making the situation worse!"

"Maybe w—" Flora cut herself off as she felt a pulsing through her body.

"Flora?" Helia asked, flying closer to her on his LeviBike worriedly.

"The Breath of the Ocean," the fairy of nature whispered loud enough for the group to hear.

"The Breath of the Ocean?" Stella repeated. "What about it? Even though we need it, we don't have it, and now we're in a huge mess without it!"

"Calm down," Musa told the sun fairy. "I don't think that's what Flora meant," she turned to the nature fairy, "was it?"

Flora nodded and turned to look off in a random direction, eyes glazed over, feeling the pulsing grow stronger.

"Flo?" Musa called.

"What's going on?" Bloom asked Tecna.

The magenta-haired fairy shook her head in confusion. "I don't know. The only logical explanation I have is that Flora must be sensing something we don't."

"But what would that be?" Roy asked.

"The Breath of the Ocean," Flora said again.

This time the girls turned to their friend and saw her looking at a glowing orb of magic and light.

"What the—" Brandon shook his head in amazement.

"What is that?" Sky asked.

Helia thought back to how Flora was acting for the past few moments and realized just what the object was. "It's the Breath of the Ocean," he answered in awe.

They all watched as the orb floated down to nestle in the nature fairy's hands. The glow faded away to reveal a large sparkling stone with a light-blue and navy pattern that glowed with a multicoloured aura.

"This is the Breath of the Ocean," Flora told them all. She closed her eyes before opening them just as quickly. "It's saying that it heard us on the island, but held back because it wanted to test us, like Tecna said. It's saying that it watched us clean this place up and saw the people that caused the mess."

"So we'll be able to use it after all?" Bloom asked hopefully.

Flora nodded happily. "The Breath of the Ocean says that it's willing to help us not only clear up this mess, but it also wants to help us defeat Tritannus and the Trix in any way it can!"

The girls smiled at each other and hugged the nature fairy.

"Do your thing, Flora," Layla grinned.

"What?" Flora blinked.

Musa nodded. "The Breath of the Ocean chose you, so you should be the one to use it."

Flora nodded and held up the stone into the air and the Task Force watched as the multicoloured aura of the stone grew and flared out, sending pulsations of it over the entirety of Paradise Bay.

Everyone watched as the water grew lighter and lighter until it was the crystal-clear blue it had been before the pollution had occurred.

But the peace didn't last for long as a Selkie Guardian, who was one of many that protected the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean, broke through the water's surface with a panicked expression on her face.

"Help!" The Selkie cried out. "There's trouble in the Infinite Ocean! Please, we need help!"

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	37. 36- Distraction is the Key to Power

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Once again, sorry for not updating in who-knows-how-long, but as I'd stated once more, schoolwork and such is my main priority, so I'll do my best to post some chapters or a chapter now and then, but it won't be as often as before. Anyway, I think this turned out a _tad_ too long, but nevertheless, enjoy!

And remember: Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Distraction is the Key to Power~Oo**

-Earth; Paradise Bay-

The Winx and the Specialists flew down to the anxious Selkie slowly so as not to frighten her any more than she already was.

"What's wrong?" Layla asked. "What's going on in the Infinite Ocean?"

"It's Tritannus!" The Selkie burst out. "He's attacking all three Pillars at once! We're doing what we can, but there aren't enough of us to hold back his army!" She gave a pleading expression to the twelve that surrounded her. "We need the Breath of the Ocean; it's the only thing that can summon any and all Selkies into the Infinite Ocean!"

"How did you know we had it?" Stella asked.

"The Ocean told me," the Selkie replied, giving the sun fairy an odd look. Didn't the Ocean tell them?

"You must remember that for marine-based creatures, magical or not, they all have a knack for understanding things beyond our comprehension," Tecna whispered to Stella. "Understanding things through the ocean must be something they have an affinity for."

"Translation?" Stella grumbled quietly.

"Water creatures bother magical and non-magical can understand a lot about stuff we don't," Musa relayed quietly. "Tecna's trying to say that the Selkies must be able to understand the ocean in some way."

"Ohhh," Stella said in realization. "Gotcha." That said, she and the two other fairies tuned back into the conversation happening before them.

"If Tritannus is attacking all the Pillars at once, we'll have to split up to protect them," Bloom said.

"But what about Tritannus?" Flora asked. "Since the Pillars are being attacked, he's got to be at one of them!"

"We'll just have to st—" Bloom was cut off by a little ringtone.

The girls perked up and took out their communicators. "It's mine," Layla frowned. Who would be trying to contact them now of all times?

The fairy of Andros pushed a button on her communicator and a hologram of Tressa the mermaid floated over the screen.

"Tressa!" Layla said in surprise. "What's wrong?" she asked at the panicked look on the mermaid's face.

Tressa started to reply quickly. "Layla the Pillars in the Infinite Ocean they're—"

"Being attacked," Layla finished. "We know, a Guardian Selkie just told us. We're heading there as soon as we can."

"You don't understand!" Tressa shook her head.

"What is it?" Musa asked this time.

"As much as we want to try and fight Tritannus' mutants, we can't!" Tressa burst out. "Even though Tritannus is controlling them, they're still just mutated MerPeople of my kingdom!"

"Then what can we do?" Flora asked worriedly.

"We need the Breath of the Ocean," the mermaid told them. "Even if _we_ can't fight the mutants at out best, the Selkies can and would be able to do it without causing any lasting damage."

"But how is the Breath of the Ocean supposed to help with that?" Riven asked.

"The Breath of the Ocean doesn't just have the power to heal and restore bodies of water," Tressa told them. "If used by a Merperson with royal blood, the Breath of the Ocean will hear our call for help and summon Selkies from Oceans from all over the realms!"

"Tressa," Layla said suddenly, noticing something. "Where's Nereus?"

Tressa sighed. "He wanted to split up," she explained. "When we got word of Tritannus and his mutants attacking the Pillars, we rushed to the Infinite Ocean as fast as we could, but even then, we knew that there wouldn't be much we could do together except attempt to protect just one Pillar. So he suggested that we split up. He went towards the Pillar of Control and I'm at the Pillar of Light while the Pillar of Balance is unprotected. Please you've got to hurry! I don't know how much longer we or the Pillars can hold on!"

"Come on, girls!" Bloom said as Layla cut the connection. "You heard her, there's not much time before the Magical Dimension starts to shift again and maybe permanently."

"We're going with you," Roy said, hovering closer to the girls with their LeviBikes.

"But—" Stella tried.

"No way are we letting you go off alone," Brandon placed a finger on his girlfriend's lips, shushing her.

"We already let you girls go off alone once and you ended up in another dimension!" Sky added.

"We're not letting you go off again," Helia said with finality as he touched Flora's cheek. "Not again and not without us."

The girls looked at each other helplessly.

"We'll take you," Tecna sighed. "But you might end up as fish or Mermen again, if luck is on your side."

"We'll take that risk," Timmy answered.

"But face it, we're not letting you go without us," Riven told them.

The girls nodded and held their hands out to each Specialist.

"LeviBikes won't be needed since we'll be going through the Ocean," Bloom explained at the questioning looks.

Nodding the Specialists each took the hand of the fairy before them and they all plunged into Paradise Bay, the boys kicking their legs to keep up with the girls.

* * *

-Infinite Ocean-

The moment the group crossed the portal, the girls' Sirenix forms changed to the ones they'd become accustomed to in the Infinite Ocean, while the boys, luckily, were turned into mermen who, to their surprise and relief, still had their PhantoBlades on them.

"That was unexpected," Timmy commented.

"But definitely a good thing," Brandon pointed.

"But definitely a good thing," Timmy nodded in agreement.

"So how do we do this?" Sky asked.

"Like Tressa said," Layla told them, "Our only hope is to split up four to a Pillar."

"And if Tritannus is at one of them?" Musa asked.

"Then we contact each other and go to where he is," Bloom told them.

"Flora you need to get to the Pillar of Light and get the Breath of the Ocean to Tressa," Layla ordered, "And I need to go help Nereus."

The fairy of nature nodded and they all paired off before heading out to the Pillar they'd been assigned.

Flora, Helia, Tecna, and Timmy to the Pillar of Light; Bloom, Sky, Musa, and Riven to the Pillar of Balance; And Layla, Roy, Brandon, and Stella to the Pillar of Control.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean-

The Winx's bonded Selkies were searching the Infinite Ocean to try and find something that could help their bonded fairies. But so far, they'd checked around multiple areas and had found naught a thing that would be helpful.

"Look!" Desiryee whispered, gaining everyone's attention. "Icy and Tritannus!"

"Someone must have done a number on her," Illiris muttered, looking at the unconscious witch in the mutant Merman's arms.

"Are going to feel bad for the bad guy?" Sonna asked. "'Cause if you do I'll pop you one over th—"

"Sonna!" Serena scolded. "Not now and shush! They're coming this way!"

"Hide!" Lemmy squeaked out quickly.

And with that said, the six Selkies hurried into tiny caves, inlets, anywhere that could hide them from Tritannus. They all held their breaths, afraid to breathe lest the mutated Merman heard them.

It wasn't until they heard the swishing of his tail grow fainter and fainter did the little beings come out of their little hiding places.

"What do you think he's up to?" Lithia asked.

"I don't know," Serena answered, "but we're gonna find out. Come on!"

"I don't know if this is a good idea…" Desiryee whispered as she and the other Selkies followed the Gatekeeper of Domino. She had seen the mutated Merman look almost…_happy_ as he was swimming by.

And much like in many places, it was an unwritten rule that whenever any evil being laughs, smile, or even shows the slightest hint of glee, there was definitely trouble brewing.

…Well, either that, or that person was probably spelled with an Oppositus spell gone wrong…

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Pillar of Light-

Tressa was doing her best to bat away the mutant MerPeople from the Pillar without harming them badly, but to no avail. It seemed that however many she seemed to knock out, twice the number would take their place.

"Digital Net!"

"Petal Hurricane!"

The Mermaid looked up when she heard the two shouts and watched as Flora's attack forced a large number of the mutants into the net that Tecna had created.

Hearing two other shouts, she looked over to see two mermen that weren't affected by Tritannus' magic fighting off the mutants and herding them into Tecna's Digital Nets. There was only one problem with that little bit.

Tressa didn't recognize either of the mermen. She knew every single mermaid and merman in her family's kingdom, but never had she ever seen those and could only wonder where they'd come from.

"Tressa!" Flora shouted swimming over to the surprised mermaid. "Here, the Breath of the Ocean!" the nature fairy closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.

The Mermaid before her watched in amazement and happiness as the Breath of the Ocean shimmed into the fairy's cupped hands.

Flora smiled gently and handed the stone to the Mermaid. "Here, take it."

Tressa smiled gratefully at the Nature fairy. She took a deep breath and let it out as she closed her eyes and held the stone above her head, concentrating. _'Please, help us. Send for the Selkies to protect what must be protected!'_

Everyone watched in amazement as the stone glowed with a multicoloured hue that pulsed out, enveloping everyone and everything in the Infinite Ocean.

After three pulses shot outward from the stone, several portal began to open up around the Pillar.

"What's happening?" Helia asked.

"Reinforcements!" Tecna answered. "Look!"

Everyone watched as selkies of different colours poured out of each of the portals, rushing to the Pillar of Light.

"Do you think they'll go to the other Pillars, too?" Timmy asked.

"I believe so," Tecna answered slowly, watching as the Selkies created a barricade around the Pillar. "Remember, the Breath of the Ocean is created of ancient magic and can think for itself and help those it feels are worthy. It approved of us, so now I suppose by default, after feeling what our intentions are, it'll help us to restore balance and protect the world and Magical Dimension from anymore harm. And as the three Pillars are what keep the Magical Dimension stable, it's more than likely that the Breath of the Ocean will do whatever possible to keep them safe."

Flora gasped in realization. "Tritannus."

"What?" Helia asked. "What about him?"

"If he's not here, wouldn't he be at one of the other Pillars?" Flora asked.

"We can check," Tecna said, taking out her communicator.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; The Emperor's Throne-

(AN: I can't remember if Daphne was trapped near or far from the Emperor's Throne, so I'm just saying that she's held captive near it.)

"What do you think he's doing?" Illiris asked as she and the other Selkies hid behind a little raised slab inside of a small cave within one of the large rocks that surrounded the Emperor's Throne.

The six watched as the mutated Merman let Icy down onto the sandy floor gently before turning to his trident and muttering softly to it. The instrument glowed a sickly dark-green for a moment before fading back to normal.

"I'm getting a really bad feeling about this," Sonna muttered.

"Now you know how I feel," Desiryee whispered.

They watched as Tritannus gave Icy a little shake and spoke to her, trying to rouse her from her unconscious state. It wasn't until about a minute or two later that the light-haired witch finally opened her eyes.

The Selkies couldn't hear what was being said, but they could clearly see the goo-goo eyes Icy was making at the mutated Merman.

Serena looked at the other Selkies and made a gagging expression, causing them to stifle their giggles.

They watched as Tritannus said something to icy and the both of them were off once more.

"Where are the going now?" Illiris huffed.

"Well, we can follow them to find out," Lithia pointed out.

"But what if he comes back here or if someone else comes?" Sonna asked.

"Then half of us will stay and half of us will go after Tritannus and Icy," Serena suggested.

The Selkies nodded to that and split off into two groups of three. Serena, Desiryee, and Lemmy went off to follow Tritannus and Icy, while Lithia, Illiris, and Sonna stayed behind to keep watch on the Emperor's Throne.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Pillar of Balance-

"This definitely doesn't look good," Musa commented, watching the mutant MerPeople swarm around the Pillar of Balance.

"But what can we do?" Sky asked.

"He's right," Riven agreed. "We can hurt them since they're still MerPeople."

"But we _can_ capture them," Bloom said in realization.

"That's right," Musa said catching onto Bloom's train of thought. "We might not be able to hurt them or take 'em out, but we can hold 'em until help gets here."

The rest of the group agreed to the idea and set to work, the girls with their magic, and the boys with their PhantoBlades.

"Spreading Fire!" Bloom whispered, shooting a stream of fire at the swarm of mutants.

The mutants, seeing the attack, dispersed and headed away from the Pillar to circle the area, looking for whoever was trespassing.

Riven nodded to Sky and they started to send rocks at the mutants as a distraction, using their PhantoBlades as golf clubs or bats.

The mutants dodged the small projectiles, but all headed in the direction they were coming from, believing the trespassers to be there.

Bloom nodded to Musa from behind a large rock formation.

The fairy of music gave a nod back, seeing the signal and held her hands out in front of her. "Deafening Chords!"

A beam of sound waves shot towards the swarm of mutants, sending them reeling back from the force of the attack.

"What did you do to them?" Riven asked his girlfriend as he and the other three watched the mutants swim around clumsily and bump into each as though they were all punch drunk.

"Nothing too bad," Musa assured him, "I just dazed them for a good while and their hearing's gonna be shot for a few minutes at most."

"Then I guess we should take this time to round them all up," Sky said, looking at the two fairies.

Bloom and Musa nodded at each other, smiling. They clasped their hands together as they both glowed their respective colours, Bloom an orangey-red with Musa being a light violet.

Together, the girls pointed one pair of clasped hands at the pile of dazed mutants.

"Igneous Protection!"

"Wall of Sound!"

A beam swirling with fire and violet sound waves was launched at the mutants, enveloping them in an orange-violet glow.

When the light died down, the mutants looked frozen in place with a violet-orange light outlining their bodies. They growled and snarled as they came to and tried to break free, but to no avail, they just weren't able to move.

"Hey, is it just me or did we not see Tritannus here?" Sky asked.

"Not just you, man," Riven shook his head.

The girls looked at one another and were about to comment on the fact, but before they could so much as utter a word, several portals opened up around the Pillar of Balance, much like at the Pillar of Control.

The group watched as Selkies of different oceans rushed out to stand guard around the Pillar and the pile of frozen mutants.

"I guess Flora got the Breath of the Ocean to Tressa," Musa said, watching the selkies.

Bloom nodded in agreement.

Just then a familiar tone was heard. Bloom looked surprised as she pulled out her communicator, which was flashing rapidly.

"Tecna?" Bloom asked in surprised as a small hologram of the fairy of technology appeared over the screen. "Is something wrong?"

_"You tell us,"_ the magenta-haired fairy answered. _"Is Tritannus at the Pillar of Balance? Because he's not here at the Pillar of Light."_

Bloom looked at Musa and the two Specilaists in worry. She shook her head at the hologram. "He's not here either. Do you think he's…?"

_"Maybe,"_ Tecna sighed grimly. _"I'll try to get in contact with Layla and Stella. For now, we all should get to the Pillar of Control just in case."_

"Right," Bloom nodded and ended the call. She looked at the group with anxious eyes. "This isn't good. What could Tritannus be up to?"

"I don't know," Musa shook her head.

"But we're gonna find out," Sky said as they all headed in the direction of the Pillar of Control.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Selkies-

Serena, Desiryee, and Lemmy had followed Tritannus and Icy, only to find that they'd gone not even three yards away from the Emperor's Throne to a large cone-shaped rock that practically _reeked_ of tainted magic.

The Selkies hid behind another rock and watched as Tritannus spoke to what seemed to be the rock. It was when Tritannus raised his trident and shot out a ray of tainted magic at the rock, wrenching a painful scream from what they believed was the rock.

"What is he _doing_?!" Lemmy asked in horror.

"I know that voice," Serena murmured. "And if it's who I think it is, then I have a really bad feeling about this…"

_'See! I _knew_ something bad was going to happen!'_ Desiryee mentally whined. _'Then again…anytime Tritannus and Icy are involved with something, the outcome is always bad…'_

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Pillar of Control-

"You've gone too far this time, Tritannus!" Nereus grunted as he backhanded another mutant with the dull end of his blade. He looked at the horde of mutants surrounding both him and the Pillar of Control. "There's no end to this!"

"Neptune's Sting!"

"Light Diamond!"

A beam of magenta and a beam of golden light shot from different directions around Nereus, splitting up the crowd of mutants around the Merman.

"Nereus!" Aisha said with relief as she swam over to her cousin.

"Layla, thank goodness!" Nereus embraced his cousin. "But what are you doing here?" he asked, pulling away from the princess of Tides.

"Tressa called and told us what was going on," Layla explained. "She told us that all the Pillars were being attacked all at once, so we all decided to split up and help."

"I'm sure that conversation is _very_ enlightening," Stella cut in, "but you wouldn't mind giving me a hand here, would ya?"

The two cousins turned to see that Stella had conjured a golden shield and was struggling to maintain it as the mutants continued to bash and bang against it.

"Sorry," the two said sheepishly.

It was then that Nereus noticed the two unfamiliar Mermen. Like Tressa, he knew everyone MerPerson in his kingdom, but never had he seen the two by the sun fairy, though one looked suspiciously similar to one of King Teredor's men. "Layla…?"

The princess of Andros looked in the direction her cousin was staring in and saw that he was staring at Roy and Brandon. It took the fairy a few moments to realize just what her cousin was asking and gave a small grin to her cousin in reassurance.

"It's a long story," Layla told him, "and I'll tell you all about it, but all you have to know right now is that they're on our side. "Okay, on my signal let down you shield, okay?" Layla told her friend.

"Right," Stella nodded.

Within a matter of seconds, Nereus was ready in a battle stance, his blade up; Layla stood there with her hands glowing magenta, and the two Specialists-turned-Mermen were also in battle stances, their blades at the ready.

"Now, Stella!" Layla called.

Stella dropped the shield and retreated behind the boys before she could be swarmed the moment she let her barrier down.

Immediately, the group began to attack, as did Stella, who had been slightly winded from maintaining the barrier under pressure.

"We can't hold them off like this forever!" Brandon shouted. "The more we knock out, even more take their place!"

"Then what are we _supposed_ to do?" Layla shouted. "We can't harm anyone here! They're still MerPeople from my realm!"

"We'll have to capture them somehow!" Roy shouted over the snarls and shrieks as he batted away yet another duo of mutants that swarmed him.

_'Capture them?'_ Layla wondered as she fired off another shot of morphix at a mutant that was too close to her for her liking. She looked at Stella, who was firing off streams of light at the mutants while the Specialists and Nereus did their best to knock them out with their sword, trying not to harm them too badly. _'That's it!'_

"Stella!" Layla called over the ruckus as she fought her way to the sun fairy.

"What?" the blonde fairy asked.

"I've got an idea of how we can catch these guys," the princess of Andros answered as she was back-to-back with her friend.

"How?" Stella fired off another bolt of light.

"If you use your Light of Sirenix to blind these things, I can use my morphix to create a cage or something to lock them in!" Layla explained.

Stella thought for a moment as she kicked away another mutant. "I'll do it," she finally answered after a moment. "But it'll take time for me to charge up; if I don't, then it's about as good as any standard attack."

Layla nodded. "Got it, the guys and I'll cover you while you do that." She swam off to inform the Specialists and her cousin of the plan.

Luckily for her, the three males had agreed and immediately moved with Layla to surround Stella to fend off the mutants around them as she glowed a dull gold which brightened with each passing moment.

In what felt like fifteen minutes, Stella was glowing brighter than the sun ever could. "Get ready and close your eyes when I give the signal!"

The four batted away the last mutant they were up against and snapped their eyes shut as tight as they could.

"Now! Light of Sirenix!" Stella shouted as she released a pulse of light that blinded those that only glimpsed at it and the fairy responsible.

"You guys can open your eyes now," Stella giggled as she watched the blinded mutants stumble around trying to figure out what just happened.

The group opened their eyes and chuckled at the mutants who acted as though they were punch drunk, much like the mutants that had been subjected to Musa's attack at the Pillar of Control.

Brandon, Nereus, and Roy got to work immediately by guiding the mutants into one place before moving out of the way for Layla to warp her morphix around them.

But suddenly, just before after Layla had caged the mutants within her morphix container, several portals opened around the Pillar with selkies of different oceans pouring out through a different one, much like at the other two Pillars.

"They did it," Layla breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, but a little too late, don't you think?" Stella commented.

"Yeah," Layla conceded, "But at least they got here."

"But Tritannus wasn't here," Nereus growled. "So where could he be? At one of the other Pillars?"

"We'd say that he was," came a voice from behind them, "but then we'd all be lying."

The three Mermen and two fairies turned around to find Tressa with the rest of the Winx Club and four other Mermen.

"Guys!" Layla said in surprise. "When'd you get here?"

"We left after dealing with the mutants," Bloom said.

"But we came a little bit after you wrapped those guys up," Musa finished.

It was then that what the girls had said sunk in. "What do you mean he's not at the other Pillars?" Nereus asked.

"Exactly that," Tecna told him. "He was neither at the Pillar of Light, nor the Pillar of Balance."

"Then where would he be?" Brandon asked.

Timmy's eyes widened. "Girls, did you say that Tritannus was trying to actuvate somekind of artifact that would give him an immense amount of power?"

"The Emperor's Throne," Stella filled in. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't you think it's kind of suspicious that all the Pillars were being attacked at the same time," Timmy asked, "and yet Tritannus wasn't at a single one of them?"

Everyone's eyes widened in realization.

"Of course," the girls breathed.

"It was a distraction," Bloom said. "He sent us to the Pillars so he'd have the chance to activate the Emperor's Throne!"

"But he doesn't have all the seals, remember?" Flora reminded them. "We destroyed the last seal at the Pillar of Control before he could get to it."

"Then how's he supposed to activate the Emperor's Throne?" Sky asked. "Didn't you girls say that he needed the seals from each Pillar to activate it?"

This actually stumped the girls because they, too, knew that without the third seal, there should've been no way to activate the Emperor's Throne. So if Tritannus _was_ planning to do just that, how was he going to do it without the seals?

"Actually," came a small voice, "that's not the only way to activate the power of the Emperor's Throne."

The group turned around to find the source of the voice to be one of the Selkies that had come through the portal.

"What do you mean?" Riven asked.

"It's true that in order to activate the Emperor's Throne, the three seals from the three Pillars are needed," the Selkie elaborated, "but what's not widely know is that that isn't the only way."

"Then how?" Helia asked.

"You need a lot of power and magic to activate the Emperor's Throne," the Selkie explained. "That's why the only keys are the three seals of the three Pillars; they contain a vast amount of raw magic from the Pillars themselves that can be fatal anyone who can't control the power. The other way to activate the Emperor's Throne is to find a substitute for the seals. The substitutes need to have an equal or greater amount of energy than the seals in order to tap into and activate the Emperor's Throne."

"But what would be powerful enough to do that?" Layla asked.

"Actually," Tecna interjected. "If you think about it, not much power might be needed to activate the Emperor's Throne. Tritannus already has two of the seals and they must provide more than enough power for the time being, but three is essential to activate it."

"So what you're saying is that he just needs a little more power to jumpstart the thing?" Roy asked.

Tecna nodded. "The third seal would have provided him with what was needed to activate the Emperor's Throne, but since he doesn't have it, he'll just need to find something as strong as or stronger than one seal."

"But what's he going to use?" Brandon asked.

"Well," the selkie from before spoke up, "I don't know of any artifacts, but the only thing strong enough at this point, if what you're saying is right, would be magic from a Sirenix fairy."

"'Magic from a Sirenix fairy'?" Helia repeated. "But how is he supposed to get that? The girls here are the only ones to have that kind of power and Tritannus hasn't been seen at any of the Pillars!"

"No he isn't," Bloom said grimly. "There were two other fairies that passed their Sirenix trials and gained their Sirenix. Unfortunately, one of them no longer exists because of the Trix."

"And the other?" Sky asked.

The rest of the Winx gasped when they realized who Bloom was talking about.

"My sister," Bloom answered. "Daphne is the only other fairy besides Politea who was able to obtain their Sirenix."

"And right now, Tritannus has her," Layla said in realization. "We have to get to the Emperor's Throne right away!"

"I can take you there," the selkie offered with a nod. "Come on, quickly!" She started swimming off in a direction with the group of fourteen right behind her.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Emperor's Throne-

"What did you see?" Illiris asked when Lemmy, Serena, and Desiryee came back to the tiny cave.

"Tritannus took Daphne's Sirenix energy," Serena said quietly.

"But what's he going to do with it?" Sonna asked. "It's not like he can just absorb it or something! He gets power from pollution, so what's he going to do with that magic?"

"Look!" Lithia pointed out at Tritannus.

The group turned to watch as Tritannis sat down on the Emperor's Throne, his trident glowing with Daphne's stolen Sirenix energy. They watched as he touched the tips of his trident to the base of the structure, transferring the energy he'd taken into the Emperor's Throne.

The Emporer's Throne glowed an eerie green before fading to an angry red hue. The Selkies watched as the structure began to shake as Tritannus grinned madly, laughing like a lunatic (at least in the Selkies' opinion) all the while.

The Emperor's Throne stopped shaking after a few moments, and everyone watched as the angry-red glow started receding upwards from the bottom into Tritannus' body. The mutated Merman, much to the horror of the Selkies and the delight of Icy, changed drastically in appearance, signaling that the magic of the Emperor's Throne had indeed changed him and potentially even made him even stronger than he was.

Tritannus grew about thrice the size he had been, his skin became a pale sickly green, jagged scales along his arms and back jutted out sharper than razors, and his hair grew became darker and longer and just even wilder overall. His tail had grown to nasty deep shade of green, his eyes were blank white slates and his teeth grew out into full-fledged fangs.

The Selkies looked at each other in shock and horror.

"This just turned out to be a whole lot worse," Desiryee whimpered.

No one could say anything to that, because there was nothing to say.

Tritannus had grown even stronger and they could only hope that the Winx were strong enough to stop him once and for all.

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	38. 37- Let Peace Reign

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Once again, I apologize for the late update, but as I'd stated before, the updates won't be as close to each as they had been at the start because I have a lot more than just this to focus on. So to make up for it, I wrote what I hope is a decently long chapter that's the last one before the epilogue.

Review, but if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~Let Peace Reign~Oo**

-Infinite Ocean; Winx & Specialists-

"How much longer?" Bloom asked urgently as she and the eight Merpeople swam along behind a selkie as quickly as they could.

"We're almost there," the Selkie assured them. She pointed to a cluster of rocks that seemed to lead to a drop-off area. "It's just over that ridge."

"What do we do if he's activated it already?" Musa asked. "He could've already absorbed its energy and became stronger!"

"We'll just need to see where his point of vulnerability is," Tecna said. "Every creature and person, no matter how strong they may seem, always have some sort of weakness. Be it a point on their body, a mental trigger, or an object."

"But for now, we just have to hope Tritannus _didn't_ activate the Throne," Sky told them.

**_Winx~Club_**

-Infinite Ocean; Emperor's Throne-

"No!" Daphne shouted weakly in alarm, looking upon the grotesque form of what Tritannus had become.

"Yes!" the mutated Merman cackled. "At last, the power of the Emporer's Throne is mine!"

Icy gasped in awe before grinning. "Oh, Tritannus, aren't you forgetting something? We're supposed to rule the Magical Dimension together!"

"Together?" Tritannus chuckled. "Why would I do something as stupid as that? Did you really believe that I would let you share this delicious power with _me_?"

Icy's eyes widened in shock. _'So they were right; this is what they meant…'_

"But Tritannus—" she tried once more.

"Didn't you hear me?" the mutated merman bellowed. "You're _nothing_ to me!" And with that, he pointed his trident at the witch, releasing a semi-wide torrent of deep-red and black energy.

Knowing there was no way she could avoid an attack like that, Icy closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate, when she heard two familiar voices that she believed to have left her forever.

"Shadow Strike!"

"Dark Voltage!"

A beam of deep-magenta lightning combined with two deep-violet sphere contected by a small thread of magic intercepted the attack meant for the Ice Witch.

Icy looked up to see Darsi and Stormy with cocky grins on their faces.

"Hate to tell you, but we told you so," Stormy shrugged.

"But I thought you left me?" Icy asked.

"Oh we did," Darsi nodded readily. "But then we remembered, that lovesick idiot or not, you're still one of us."

"Always have been," Stormy winked with a smirk, "Always will be."

"Definitely," Icy nodded, holding back what she hoped weren't tears because witches never cried. _They_ made fairies and pixies cry, not do it themselves!

"The I say it's time we give this slimy fish a good piece of our minds," Darsi suggested, her hands glowing violet as Stormy's crackled with electricity, and Icy's glowed with frost.

"You really think you can defeat me?" Tritannus laughed mockingly.

"You could think we're weak, Tritannus," Icy retorted. "But don't forget who it was that gave us our Dark Sirenix!"

Her answer was a pulse of dark-tainted energy, pushing everyone present back violently. "You truly think you have any chance against me?" Tritannus mocked. "Your 'Dark Sirenix' is useless against me."

"What?" Stormy snarled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Tritannus said in a childish tone, "that because I granted you those powers, they will _never_ work on me."

"Watch us," Icy glared. And with that said, the three witches started to fight Tritannus to the best of their ability, doing their best to not hit the mutated merman directly.

This was the scene the Winx and eight Merpeople arrived to.

**_Winx~Club_**

"We're too late," Stella muttered as the group hid behind a long cluster of boulders and jagged rocks. "How the heck are we supposed to stop him now?"

"We do what Tecna suggested," Bloom said. "We find his point of vulnerability."

"And we do that how?" Riven asked.

"We'll fight," Layla said. "We'll fight to distract him for as long as we can. Tecna should stay behind and out of sight so she can find Tritannus' weak spot."

"That's all good and everything but I think at least one of us should stay and guard Tecna while she's investigating," Timmy spoke up.

"He's right," Musa said.

Tressa glared at Tritannus as hard as she could before turning back to the rest of her group. "I'll do it. I'll stay with Tecna; you guys just find a way to distract Tritannus."

"Then before we go…" Musa said as she snapped her fingers twice and pointed at the fairy and mermaid. Two strips of magenta magic sprouted from her fingers and zoomed out and around Tecna and Tressa, forming a large dome-like barrier.

"This should be enough to keep Tritannus' eye off of you," the fairy of music stated.

"What is it?" Layla asked. "And why can't we hear them?"

"That's the point of the barrier," Musa explained. "_They_ can hear _us_, but anyone outside of the barrier won't be able to hear _them_. I figured that this way, Tritannus shouldn't be able to find 'em, and it'll give Tecna enough time to come up with something."

"But how will she tell us what she finds if we can't hear her?" Brandon asked.

"All she needs to do is touch the barrier to let it drop," Musa said simply.

It was then that Sky noticed something peculiar going on around them. Six small dome-shaped shells were floating over in their direction.

The blonde prince raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head, thinking he was seeing things. But when he opened his eyes, he found the same sight meeting his eyes once more, and knew then that it wasn't just an illusion.

"Um guys?" Sky called quietly.

"What's up?" Bloom asked as she and the rest of their group looked to the Prince of Eraklyon.

"Six shells," Sky answered.

"What?" Bloom looked at her boyfriend as though he'd gone mad.

"I think someone's had a few too many knocks to the head," Stella snickered.

"Actually, I think he's right," Flora said with a surprised look in her eyes. "Unless, I've taken, as Layla said, 'a few too many knocks to the head', too, then I'm seeing six floating shell coming toward us."

The group looked at each other in a perplexed manner before looking in the direction the fairy of nature and the Prince of Eraklyon were gazing in. Their jaws dropped when the two who they were thinking had gone mad actually weren't and were telling the truth about what they'd seen.

"Um, Layla?" Bloom asked. "What are those?"

"I don't know," Layla shook her head bemusedly. "I've never seen anything like those before. Nereus?"

The MerPrince shook his head in negative. "I wouldn't be able to tell you. Not because I can't, but because I've never seen anything like those before."

"Any volunteers?" Riven asked as he held the hilt of his weapon, ready to activate it if necessary.

"I'll do it," Layla whispered, letting out a thin stream of morphix to sprout from her finger and solidify, creating a thin rod.

Taking the rod she created, the Princess of Andros poked one of the shells, though none too gently.

"Ow!" a voice squeaked. "What just hit me?"

The group stopped and looked at each other, baffled.

"You heard that, right?" Bloom asked.

"I did if you did," Musa muttered.

"Wait a second," Stella's eyes narrowed. "I know that voice…" The sun fairy moved closer and quickly plucked the shell away from whatever was underneath to reveal Illiris.

"Just as I thought," Stella nodded. "Illiris, what are you doing here?"

"Illiris?" the rest of the group behind the blonde fairy chorused quietly.

"We came here to see if we could do something to help," the Selkie replied before turning around. "It's okay, you can take off the shells!"

One by one, the group watched as one of the girls' Selkies came out from underneath each shell. The Selkies each grinned and swam over to their bonded fairy with glee and relief.

"We're glad you're all right, but what were you thinking?" Bloom asked. "It's dangerous for you to be around let alone near Tritannus, and you know it!"

"Yeah, but we wanted to find something that could help you beat Tritannus," Serena protested.

"Well what did you find out?" Nereus asked.

"He used Daphne's power to activate the Emperor's Throne," Desiryee piped up.

"We already figured that out when another Selkie told us about the other way to activate the Throne," Sky gave an apologetic smile to the little creatures.

"Anything else?" Riven asked.

"Well," Sonna spoke up, "Tritannus betrayed Icy, so now she, Stormy, and Darsi are getting revenge on him for breaking his word and using them."

"That happen a lot to them, doesn't it?" Layla commented.

"Kind of makes you want to feel sorry for them," Musa added.

"But when you think about the times they've attacked and tried to destroy us," Flora reminded them, "You suddenly don't feel so sympathetic, right?"

The group sheepishly nodded their heads.

"Was there anything else?" Helia asked.

The Selkies shook their heads. "That's all we found out," Serena shook her head.

_BOOM!_

The group started at the sound and peeked over their hiding place to see that Tritannus had been thrown to the ground by the Trix, his trident skidding a little bit away from him.

"That had to hurt," Stella winced.

"But he deserved it," Musa pointed out.

They watched as Tritannus pulled himself up and nearly panic when he realized his trident wasn't with him. The group watched as the mutated merman searched frantically for his instrument, not relaxing until he actually had it in his hands once more.

"That trident looks very important to him," Flora commented when they ducked back down behind their little shelter. She turned to Nereus. "Is it very important to him?"

(AN: Heads up for a huge explanation up ahead!)

No one noticed Tecna stop typing away on her holo-keyboard at Flora's question.

The merman nodded. "Every MerPerson, when they finally reach their Maturing Stage, is given the chance to be selected by a weapon or instrument from among hundreds." He took out his sword and Tressa, who had been listening from behind Tecna's barrier, pulled out her own sword.

(AN: Maturing Stage, really, in my opinion was just when a Mermaid of Merman reaches the point where they begin to mature, or puberty for us humans. However, unlike in humans where it takes quite a few years to complete, this is completed in a span of two to three years for MerPeople.)

"Wait a second," Bloom broke in. "The _instrument _chooses _them_?"

Tecna's eyebrows rose as a calculating gleam shone in her eye.

Nereus nodded once more and replied over the noise the Trix and Tritannus were creating with their "little fight". "As you know, we don't just live in Andros, but we have an entire kingdom within the seas of Andros, so besides our Elite Mermaid Guard, there are also many other jobs and professions available for Mermaids and Mermen in our kingdom. And as you know, we are also privy to magic, not because we are magical creatures, though that may have a little to do with it, but because of our connection to the seas of Andros."

Layla picked up from there. "Andros is known as the Kingdom of Waves because our oceans are connected to those in so many other realms. It's because of this connection, that our oceans as are full of latent magic. It's been said that this was what gave magic to sea creatures and MerPeople from the beginning."

"And as generations went on, the magic was passed down," Timmy said in realization, "giving these creatures and people the magic they use today."

Nereus and Layla nodded. "Each and every person is destined to do something in life, sometimes it may come easily, and sometimes it could take a while," Nereus took up his explanation again. "But nevertheless, anyone's magic knows what they are destined to do either right then or late in life. It's this very magic that calls out to the magic within the many weapons of instruments before the MerPerson. However, out of all of them, only one will respond and that will set them to begin on their path to their destined goal.

"Just as my sword chose me as Tressa's chose hers, and as my mother's scepter selected her," Nereus continued, "Tritannus' trident chose him. As I've already said, we as MerPeople are privy to magic, but unlike fairies or some magic practitioners, we cannot perform magic as it is. We need a conduit; without it, we can't even perform the most basic of spells. And if we attempted it, the magic would only backfire on us. Just as my sword is my conduit, Tritannus' is his trident."

Tecna's eyes widened in excitement and quickly tapped Musa's barrier, watching it phase out. "I know how we can beat Tritannus!"

"What?" the group chorused bemusedly.

"His Trident," Tecna said. "If we destroy his Trident, then we'll be able to take away most if not all of his power!"

"Why would that happen?" Flora asked.

"I've noticed that whenever Tritannus absorbs the taint in pollution, that's all he absorbs," Tecna explained. "His tainted magic his transferred to his trident, which is where he'll release the magic in some physical form. The taint in his body only acts as a sort of catalyst that only gives the magic in his trident a small push so it can be released."

"So all we do is aim for the big pointy stick," Stella deadpanned, much to the groups' amusement.

(AN: Probably made Stella sound even more like the average stereotypical blonde, but my brother and I were play a videogame last night, and this happened to be one of the many weird things we were saying.)

"Actually—" Tecna tried correcting the sun fairy, but was cut off by a hand slapped over her lips.

"Yeah," Musa nodded quickly, keeping her hand firmly on Tecna's mouth, "Just aim for the big pointy…stick."

"While you girls do that, we'll get Daphne out," Sky told them. He turned to the Selkies. "Could you lead us to her?"

The Selkies nodded, eager to help in any way they could.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Bloom asked. "Let's go!"

And with that, one group of eight zipped out from behind their hiding place with a loud battle cry, while the other six silently followed the Selkies to where the Nymph of Sparx was held..

Hearing the loud noise, Tritannus and the Trix stopped attacking one another and looked on in surprise and horror at the large group headed their way.

"Out of the way, witches, if you don't want to get hit!" Musa shouted to the Trix.

Icy, Darsi, and Stromy, glanced at each other and nodded before swimming out from in front of Tritannus, leaving the mutated Merman open for attack.

"Ha!" He laughed. "Go ahead; take the shot! But you're not gonna get rid of me that easily!"

_'Don't we know it,'_ everyone thought dryly.

"Winx Club: Sirenix Convergence!" The six fairies shouted, linking hands and shooting a multicoloured beam at the mutated Merman. Nereus and Tressa drew their swords and shot bolts of magic from them, urging their magic to combine with that of the Winx.

"Argh!" the mutated Merman shouted in outrage as he was shoved back by the force of the combined attack, leaving a faint, but visible mark on his chest. He looked down at the mark and snarled at the Winx, who'd begun to back away, leading Tritannus on a chase around the area of the Emperor's Throne.

**_Winx~Club_**

While Tritannus was occupied, the Specialists were working on getting Daphne out of her prison.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Brandon asked, scratching his head. "_Without _getting cursed or whatever?"

"Daphne," Riven asked, "is there anything this spell is anchored to?"

The nymph shook her head. "I don't know. I was unconscious when I was placed in here. And as much as I would like to use magic to help you, I can't. This barrier prevents me from escaping or using my magic and Tritannus has already taken a majority of it to activate the Emperor's Throne."

"Timmy?" Sky asked.

The orange-haired Specialist-turned Merman observed the cone-like structure and the barrier that was placed on it. "You said that this was meant to prevent you from escaping?"

Curious, but still weak, Daphne gave a small nod in answer.

"But what about keeping things _out_?" Timmy asked. "You said the barrier prevent _you_ from getting _out_, but what about _letting_ things _in_?"

Daphne's eyes widened behind her mask, or at least it looked like they did, what with her being a disembodied spirit and all.

"I don't know," Daphne said softly. "I only know that this is meant to keep me in and stop me from using any magic. I don't know if this also keeps anything out."

Timmy nodded and observed the barrier once more with narrowed eyes. "I have an idea, but it's pretty risky."

"Any idea would be a good idea right about now," Helia assured his fellow Specialist.

Timmy took a deep breath before releasing it after a few moments. "Okay, one or two of us can go inside the barrier and try to take down that structure from the inside while the rest of us do what we can to break it down from the outside."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"So who's going in?" Brandon asked.

"I will," Roy volunteered.

"So will I," Sky offered.

"Sky can go," Timmy agreed. "But you can't Roy."

"Why not?" Roy asked. _'Do they doubt me? Do they just not trust me?'_

"It's not that we know you couldn't do it," Timmy quickly reassured the tanned Specialist. "But you use your Triton Force ability, which is a form of magic. So if you go inside…"

Roy's eyes widened in realization. "My magic will be nullified."

Timmy nodded. "So I think it's best that Sky and Riven go inside, while the rest of us break down this thing from out here."

"Got it," Riven nodded. He looked over to Sky. "You ready?"

"As ready as I can be," Sky said with a determined gaze.

"On the count of three?" Riven asked, to which Sky nodded.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

The two Specialists zoomed towards the opening of the prison as fast as they could, PhantoBlade hilts drawn and ready to activate when needed.

To their surprise and relief, the two Mermen had gotten through Tritannus' barrier with no trouble at all. They turned around to give the rest of their group a thumbs-up to show they were all right.

"They're in," Timmy sighed with relief. "Okay, everyone, let's start breaking this thing down!"

And with that said, the two Mermen within the barrier started hacking away at the prison from the inside, while the rest of their group started to break away the outside, and were surprisingly not bounced off by the barrier in place, which made their task all the more easier.

**_Winx~Club_**

"Hey, Loser!" Icy shouted to Bloom as the Winx all shot attacks at Tritannus, who dodged most of them, though wasn't fazed by what did hit him.

Bloom looked over and glared at Icy for the name calling, but raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement.

"We hate this guy as much as you," Darsi explained, dodging a blast from the mutated Merman.

"So why don't we call a truce for now?" Stormy finished.

Bloom looked at her friends and spoke through little glances and gestures. She looked back at the Trix and nodded. "Truce," she shouted.

Just then, Tritannus lashed out with a large pulse of tainted magic that spread outwards and rushing towards them all at a high speed.

The Trix and Winx were able to get their shields up in time, and so the pulse just missed them. Tressa and Nereus, however, weren't very lucky.

The two MerRoyals were trying to swim to safety, but being the younger of the two, Trssa was a slight bit slower than her older brother, and therefore wasn't able to swim away from the pulse fast enough.

"Tressa!" Nereus shouted in concern for his younger sister. Seeing no other way, Nereus swam back to his sister and pushed her out of the way and took the hit for her.

"Nereus!" Tressa shouted, watching as the body of the MerPrince floated down to the sandy bottom.

"Nereus?" Layla whispered in fright, turning only to find the sight of her cousin's body floating gently towards the soft ground. "Nereus!" She powered-down her shield and swam as fast as she could towards her cousin's body, guiding it gently so his head rested in her lap.

"Nereus," the princess of Andros whispered, cupping her cousin's face in her hand. "Wake up," she urged with false hope. "Wake up!"

"Layla…" Tressa whispered with teary eyes, her cheeks glistening with the same tears. "It's no use, because of Tritannus, Nereus is—"

"He isn't gone!" Layla countered. "He can't be! I won't let him!"

Tritannus only laughed at his family's sorrow over his brother's death. "That fool, he was an idiot to take that blow for my _darling baby sister_," he cackled.

"Not even a shred of remorse," Flora whispered with horror.

Even the Trix were startled into silence. They knew he had jealousy and power issues, but killing another member of your family? That was a line even they wouldn't cross. Evil as they are even they knew that betraying your family isn't worth power. Icy had learned that the hard way.

"He was your brother!" Bloom snarled. "And Tressa's your younger sister! How could you do something like that?"

"'How could I do something like that?'" Tritannus repeated. "Very easily! The only thing standing in the way of my conquest of the seas and the Magical Dimension was my family! I want something, so I got rid of some part of the problem!"

"There is no way I'm going to let Nereus go!" Layla shouted. "You're going down, Tritannus, or I'll die trying!"

"Be my guest," Tritannus a frightening grin spread across his lips. "I'll take great delight in obliterating you and your friends before moving onto the rest of my _dear family_."

Layla's anger was only fueled by Tritannus' statement, but before she could do or say anymore in retaliation, her Sirenix box appeared before her in a flash of light.

The princess of Andros watched as her aqua-hued Guardian of Sirenix appeared from the opened box. "I've been summoned here by your desire to save your cousin," the Guardian spoke. "You've done well to realize your destiny, Layla. What is your wish?"

Layla looked down at Nereus before looking to her Guardian of Sirenix with hope in her eyes. "I wish for Nereus to live!"

"Your wish is granted," The Guardian said before dissolving into hundreds of light-aqua sparkles.

Everyone watched (though Tritannus watched with mounting anger) in awe as Nereus' body was lifted up from the ground and surrounded by the light-aqua sparkles. His body glowed a faint-white before his eyes opened and lips were undone to take in a deep breath.

"You're alive!" Tressa whispered as she and Layla tackled the MerPrince into a tight embrace.

The Winx girls hugged each other in happiness for their friend, while even the Trix crackled a smirk at the reunion. Though they didn't act like it, family was important.

"What happened?" Nereus asked. "I remember pushing Tressa out of the way and—"

"I promise we'll explain everything," Layla assured her cousin. "But first, we all have a little unfinished business to take care of."

"Oh, you're going down, sushi breath!" Musa muttered under her breath as he fired off a beam of violet light at the Merman. "Percussive Hit!"

The attack being fueled by her anger, just made the magic in it even more potent, giving Tritannus a good shove back, much to his surprise.

"What the—?"

"Lava Jab!" Bloom shouted, shooting a stream of flame at the mutated Merman, who was once again shoved back.

"How—" Tritannus' eyes widened.

"Neptune's Sting!"

"Light Diamond!"

Stella's and Layla's attacked combined together to strike at Tritannus' back.

"Flower Hurricane!"

"Genesis Blow!"

Flora's and Tecna's attacked hit Tritannus from another side, knocking him in the opposite direction.

"Ice Bomb!"

"Dark Voltage!"

"Shadow Twister!"

This time it was the Trix's attacks that combined, but unlike the Winx's attacks, theirs didn't aim for Tritannus, but the sand and debris around them. The combined attack rustled up a slight sandstorm with rocky chips, blinding Tritannus' sight and limiting his movement.

Taking this chance, the Winx closed in a slight bit closer, their shields up to stop themselves from becoming blinded by the storm the Trix had created and were maintaining. While keeping their defenses up, the Winx continued to shoot attacks at Tritannus, knocking him around in different direction, until his grip on his Trident went slack.

"Lava Jab!" Bloom shouted, seeing a chance. Her stream of fire engulfed the trident, the conduit glowing a dull-red at first but brightening with each moment that passed until it shone pure gold to the point where it was nearly blinding to look at. And within a few seconds, the trident burst into thousands and thousands of golden sparks that faded almost as quickly as they appeared.

"NO!" Tritannus shouted, his body glowing a deep-red. Everyone watched as a deep-red gaseous substance leaked out of the mutated Merman, causing the deep-red glow of his body to dull with every bit of the gaseous substance that filtered out of his body until all that was left was an unconscious non-mutated Merman.

"It's over," Tressa sighed with relief, slumping against her brother, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah," Nereus said, his tone laden with well-hidden grief, "it is." And although that was so, it didn't make the pale-haired prince feel any better because once Tritannus was returned to the MerKingdom, he would be sentenced with the highest sentence there was.

Eternity in the realm of Oblivion.

"Hey," Flora commented, "Where did the witches go?"

"Probably didn't want to stick around us for too long," Tecna shrugged.

"Bloom!" a voice shouted from behind them.

They all turned around to see Daphne, the Specialsts, and the Selkies swimming up to them.

"Daphne!" Bloom grinned, swimming to her older sister. "You're all right!"

"You did it," Daphne breathed out, trailing her hands over her younger sister's fae. "You defeated Tritannus!"

"She has," came a voice, "And she's earned a great gift."

They all turned to the source to find Bloom's Sirenix Box opened with her cyan-hued Guardian of Sirenix hovering in the opening.

"Bloom," the cyan Guardian spoke, "You've defeated the deepest darkness and have fulfilled your destiny at present. What is your wish?"

Bloom glanced back at her sister before glancing at her friends, who nodded knowing what their friend wanted to wish for.

The Princess of Sparx took a deep breath before speaking. "I wish for the Sirenix Curse to be lifted and its legacy ended forever."

The cyan Guardian of Sirenix smiled gently before bowing lightly. "Your wish, my dear, is granted." And with that, the Guardian of Sirenix dissolved into a golden light, which engulfed Daphne.

Everyone, including the Selkies watched in awe as the near-transparent form of Daphne slowly became opaque and her once pale-golden arms became a pale-tan and amber eyes shone through her mask.

"Bloom…" Daphne breathed out as tears leaked down her face.

"Daphne," Bloom said as the two sisters finally, truly embraced for the first time since making contact.

* * *

-Andros-

"I can't believe it all came down to this," Stella shivered. "The Gate to Oblivion…"

"He deserves it," Layla said with narrowed eyes, "And any other punishment we could've given him."

"I agree with you on that," Musa said, still irritated (for lack of a better term right now) about what happened on Melody with its whales.

"C'mon," Bloom said, "We have a party to get to."

**_Winx~Club_**

-Andros; That Night-

"From now on," King Neptune spoke to the many people within the ballroom, "we will not be separated by land and sea, but united as one family."

"And with all the planets of the Magic Dimension," King Teredor continued.

"Let peace reign thought the Magical Dimension!" King Neptune finished amongst cheers.

It was then that the two rulers of Sparx stepped through the doorway with Daphne and Bloom's adopted parents with Kiko in Mike's arms.

"Where are the girls?" Vanessa asked, looking around for her adopted daughter.

"Where else?" Sky commented. "On stage."

"But there's no stage," Mike scratched his head, forgetting about magic for a moment.

Brandon just chuckled along with Sky and they all turned to the large pool of water in the centre of the ballroom where many of the Mermaids and Mermen were.

It was then that the centre of the water lit up as a stage with the Winx and their instruments floated up above the pool of water.

"This concert is dedicated to everyone who helped support us during our endeavors," Bloom announced. "And to my newly revived sister, Daphne!"

The crowed all cheered in response.

(AN: I'm pretty sure you all know what everyone was wearing at the time, so I won't bother describing right now. Now I wasn't entirely sure about the lyrics, so please don't be mad because of it!)

The Winx began to play as Bloom sang with her friends.

**_The Magic of Tonight_**

_The party's on, it all comes down to this  
We're better together  
The dark is gone, let's seal it with a kiss_

The girls smiled at each other as they watched Kiko coax a cute pink bunny to dance with him.

_And send it to never  
Like a fairytale that never ends  
We let this dance begin_

By this time, Riven and the rest of the Specialists had joined in with their own instruments.

_Close your eyes and let's sail into the fun  
A whole new adventure  
Each and every you and I are one_

The girls fought down a giggle as they watched the Alfea staff, including Griselda, dance without a care to the music.

The boys, too had the urge to laugh, but unlike the girls, they didn't bother to hide their amusement at Codatorta and Saladin dancing.

_One hundred percent sure  
Once again united 'round the globe  
Let's all let it go_

"You're the best little sister anyone could ask for," Daphne whispered with a smile, leaning into her parents' embrace.

_The fear's undone, we won the fight  
So everybody raise your hands sky high  
Like your hearts that never heard of sorrow  
Finally all the stars are all aligned_

Helia had taken a short break from playing his instrument and took out a decently-sized piece of paper, folded it into the shape of an origami crane and let it fly towards the stage, where it split into six smaller cranes.

The girls smiled at each other before blowing slightly or lightly touching the cranes, causing them to burst into multicoloured petals that showered upon them.

_We can dance till dawn, 'cause you and I know  
It's a whole new day tomorrow  
Startin' with a magical tonight_

Bloom let go of the microphone and, using her magic, floated down to where her family, both adopted and blood related, stood and embraced her sister. As soon as that was initiated, both mothers huddled in and gathered both girls in a tight embrace.

"I told you everything would be all right, didn't I?" Bloom whispered in Daphne's ear.

"Yeah," Daphne whispered back as a tear slipped down her cheek, "You did."

* * *

_Ciao,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


	39. 38- A Peaceful End, Or is It?

I do not own Winx Club in any way!

* * *

Speech Key:

"The" – Oral/Normal Speech

_ 'The'_ – _Thoughts_

* * *

AN: Bloody hell, I've done this a number of times, and it still leaves a sort of hole-like depressing feeling whenever I end a story. Anyway, as you may have deduced, this is the official ending of "Displaced". Now I've gotten questions and suggestions about a sequel, and I actually decided on doing one, however, it wouldn't be for a while since it would take place during the sixth season, which has barely even begun. So I'd need to watch it before I write anything.

And before anyone says anything, I know that this is definitely a little long for an Epilogue, but in all honesty, I did my best, considering the fact that I ended up getting sick…again…

So without further ado, I would like to thank the many readers and reviewers with all my heart for sticking with this story until the very end and tolerating my lateness!

* * *

**-Displaced-**

**oO~A Peaceful End…Or is It?" ~Oo**

Well, everything had settled down with the Winx after Tritannus' banishment. But what, you may be asking, happened in the Other Dimension when the Winx went back to their own?

* * *

-Other Dimension; Gardenia; Love and Pet-

"Another day over and out," Stella huffed lightly as she slumped down on a chair.

"You know you loved it," Layla teased the sun fairy as she, too sat down, though on the floor.

"We all do," Musa smiled. "It's definitely a hard taking care of all these pets and managing the customers, but it's worth it when you see the smiles on their faces."

"The customers' or the pets'?" Bloom asked.

"Both," Flora broke in with a giggle.

It had been a little over a month since the girls had returned to their rightful dimension, stronger than they'd ever been. When they'd first returned, the girls had been swarmed with questions and words of gratitude to the point where Ms. Faragonda had ordered everyone to leave them alone, even going as far as putting an altered barrier spell on them to ensure their privacy.

* * *

-Flashback; Two Weeks Ago-

_-Alfea; Headmistress' Office-_

_"I'm afraid there really isn't much left to teach you all," Faragonda said, giving a small smile to the six girls before her. "With your boost in power, you've all gained the right to graduate or stay here to further your studies."_

_The girls looked at each other for a moment and nodded. It was Layla who gave a reply. "If it's okay with you, I think we're better off leaving Alfea."_

_The girls gave a small nod in agreement._

_"We love it here," Musa assured the headmistress quickly, "but after everything that's happened, we don't really feel like we belong here anymore."_

_"I understand," Faragonda told them gently. "But where will you go?"_

_"We'll be heading to Earth," Bloom spoke up. "My hometown, in fact. There are a few things we need to do there, but we also think it's a nice place to settle down until we figure out what we want to do."_

_Unknown to their counterparts or anyone aware of that particular secret here, during the power transfer between both groups of girls, the girls of this dimension gained the memories of their counterparts._

_It was using those memories that they figured out what they wanted to do, having expected this meeting with Faragonda sooner or later._

_"Will you at least stay for a formal graduation ceremony?" the headmistress asked._

_The girls smiled softly and nodded._

_"Of course," Flora answered for them all. "We couldn't leave Alfea without an official graduation!"_

_Everyone burst out into laughter at this._

_"But I hope you six know that the doors of Alfea will always be open to you," Faragonda said gently._

_"We know, Ms. F," Musa said as they all gathered the elder woman in a tight embrace. "We know."_

**_Winx~Club_**

_-Alfea Grounds; Three Days Later; Evening of the Third Day-_

_"What do you think's going on?" Sky asked as he and the rest of the Red Fountain Specialists walked onto the school grounds._

_"I don't know," Timmy shook his head. "Codatorta's been really secretive about this." He turned to Helia. "What about your uncle? Has he mentioned anything about this?"_

_"I'm afraid not," Helia answered in negative. "I tried getting him to tell me, but he would just keeping that it was a 'surprise'."_

_"Whoa," Brandon whistled lowly. "There's bound to be a huge party if they've got the place decorated like this…"_

_And what he said was true. The entirety of the Alfea Grounds was decorated tiny twinkling lights of all sorts of colours, streams hanging decoratively from the school building, flowers that glowed in the evening light floated high above their heads, and what seemed like pixie dust was suspended in the air. And right there in the centre of the grounds, a platform was set up with a long table that had six intricately designed jewelry boxes set atop it._

_(AN: This kind of pixie dust doesn't have any magical properties aside from looking pretty.)_

_All in all, the sight was stunning._

_The girls of Alfea were already out and about on the grounds in lavishly designed formal dresses, mingling with their friends and flirting with the boys of Red Fountain. _

_It wasn't until a few moments later that a violet-hued portal opened up on the Alfea grounds. From that portal, Headmistress Griffin stepped out, followed by her students, who were also decked out in their [more darkly themed] formal wear._

_"Okay so the witches were invited," Sky commented. "Is this some kind of gathering to celebrate the three schools fighting together?"_

_The boys only shrugged in answer._

_"Hey," Carmen sauntered over to Riven, wrapping an arm around his waist._

**_Winx~Club_**

_Carmen wore a black form-fitting floor-length dress with a slit up her left leg to mid-thigh strapless sweetheart-neckline, from which a deep-green lacy fabric sprouted into two straps over her shoulders that lengthened into quarter-length lacy sleeves._

_She wore a simple silver band around her right write and a simple silver necklace that was looped thrice around her neck and left to hang to just above her collarbone. Her maroon hair was swept up into an elegant bun with her bangs swept over one eye, and she wore a pair of black two-inch heels._

**_Winx~Club_**

_Riven only gave a half-hearted grunt in reply._

_"What's wrong with you?" Carmen burst out. "You go missing for days on end with some stupid pixies, I get no calls from you, and now you're barely even looking at me!"_

_"Just leave it alone," the magenta-haired Specialist grumbled out._

_Carmen growled, her hands pulsing with magic. "Tell me what's going on right now or we're over!"_

_"Then leave," Riven said indifferently, "'Cause there's nothing to say."_

_The witch let out a shriek of anger, much different from her formerly calm expression, and stalked away in anger._

_"Ouch," Brandon winced._

_"That could have gone better," Helia commented. "Did you really need to be so hard on her?"_

_"Why did you break up with her in the first place?" Timmy asked, though he had an inkling as to why…_

_"Don't act like you don't know," Riven snorted. "You know exactly why I broke it off. In fact, it's the same reason why you guys broke it off with the girls you guys were with."_

_That said, the rest of the boys looked away from each other, an awkward silence falling over them._

_It was then that the Alfea staff walked up to the platform in the centre of the grounds. They all stood in a line in front of the table with them being arranged in such that Ms. Faragonda was situated in the centre of them all._

_ "If I may have your attention, please!" the headmistress called, holding her hands up for silence._

_The loud chatter died down to a few murmurs and mumbles before hushing altogether._

_"Thank you," Faragonda bowed her head slightly in thanks. "This has been a trying year with many more disasters than we've ever faced. However, we all fought together, like true warriors and defeated the evil that plagued us."_

_Faragonda looked out at the crowd for a while in pause. "Now, I know as well as you all that the credit for our victory doesn't solely reside with us, but six brave fairies that have hidden their true potential for years. And now, without further ado, I would like to give a round of applause to the saviors of the Magical Dimension: The Winx Club!"_

_Everyone broke out into applause and cheers as Flora, Musa, Tecna, Bloom, Stella, and Layla walked up to the platform and stood in front of the table as the Alfea staff walked around to stand behind the table, once again with Faragonda situated in the centre. _

_(AN: I'll just put up links of the dresses I think they'd be wearing just before the end note.)_

_"But this isn't just a commemoration to our victory," the headmistress continued when the applause died down, "for this is the night when these six girls will leave Alfea with the power and titles of Guardian Fairies of their respective realms!"_

_She turned to look at each girl in turn, giving them a proud smile as she snapped her fingers._

_Six scrolls rolled out in front of each girl, all bearing the same writing, though the only difference was that each of theirs had their respective names and realms on the scroll._

_"These are no ordinary jewelry boxes you see here before you. They contain the power you have earned and will need to become a true Guardian Fairy," Faragonda said. "Now, open them and welcome your hard-earned destiny."_

_(AN: A little weird to probably even say that considering the fact that the powers they now have aren't exactly hard-earned. Ah, and the gradutation ceremony is exactly as it was in the first film, though just add Bloom in this time.)_

_One by one, each of the girls opened the beautiful jewel encrusted boxes, releasing a stream of magic unique for each fairy. The girls were raised into the air by this magic as it merged with the six fairies._

_Everyone watched the spectacle in awe, especially five Specialists who couldn't seem to rip their eyes off of five of the six girls._

_"As of now," Faragonda said once the girls were lowered back to the ground with a noticeable glow to their complexions, "You girls are now full-fledged Guardian Fairies and Official Graduates of Alfea!"_

_The audience once again broke out into applause, but this time it was louder than it had been when the girls first emerged. But they watched as Bloom turned to the Headmistress and murmured something, to which she nodded._

_"Well, words won't be able to express just how we feel right now," Bloom spoke loudly. "But now that we've graduated, there's something the girls and I would like to say."_

_"We're leaving Alfea," the girls chorused._

_Gasps ran through the crowd and the Specialists' eyes widened in surprise._

_"As you know," Tecna explained, "once a fairy of Alfea becomes a full-fledged Guardian Fairy, they're given two choices."_

_"They either go back to their realms to protect them," Stella continued. _

_"Or they stay here at Alfea to further their studies," Musa said after._

_"Some even go to travel around to different realms to learn as much as they can," Flora added._

_"But we've decided to leave Alfea," Layla finished._

_"Are you going back to your realms?"_

_"Will you be traveling?"_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Why are you going?"_

_These questions bounced around among the crowd, overlapping each other to the point where Musa put two fingers in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle._

_The crowd hushed immediately._

_"We're leaving because we want to," Flora replied. "But we won't be going back to our realms and we won't be traveling."_

_"We've decided to settle down in a place that's quite…interesting," Tecna said._

_"We know we're always welcome at Alfea and we'll visit whenever we want," Layla spoke, "but we just don't think there's really anything else we can learn here that we haven't."_

_"That's why we decided to leave," Bloom finished for them. "We'll still be around, but I don't think you'll be seeing us as much anymore."_

_And with that said, Ms. Faragonda asked for one last round of applause. But suddenly, as the applause died down, the six girls snapped their fingers and in a flash of light, they were gone._

-End Flashback-

* * *

Once the girls had left the school, they'd gone straight to Earth and opened up their own Love and Pet shop, just as their counterparts did.

Business hadn't gone very well the first few months, but in time, more and more people of Gardenia started to adopt their pixie pets, the town's belief in magic increasing with each adoption.

But that wasn't all the girls had done.

After passing the Sirenix Trials to honestly earn their Sirenix, the girls had made their way into the Infinite Ocean and destroyed and repaired the seals of each Pillar to ensure that if Tritannus did indeed come into power, he wouldn't be able to activate the Emperor's Throne.

Of course, this didn't stop Layla from going to check on the Merman now and then.

But all in all, the girls had been living peacefully since they'd left the Magical Dimension.

"I wonder what going on at Alfea right now…" Layla sighed.

"I know what you mean," Musa smirked. "It feels weird not being there, doesn't it?"

The girls all nodded.

"I hope those girls and guys managed to defeat Tritannus," Bloom said quietly.

Stella nodded. "He's way creepy…and really cliché! I mean seriously, who hasn't heard of the 'take over the world' stuff from villains?"

"There's really nothing we can do, though," Tecna pointed out. "We should at least be grateful since it was because of them that everything's so peaceful right now."

But little did they know, they were being watched by five certain someones just across the street…

* * *

Dress Links:

**Use this link and go down to the Season 3 Princess Ball section of the Page to see the dresses the girls, but Bloom, were wearing (didn't really approve of Bloom's dress since it made her look more like a little kid than anything): ** winx-fairies-fashion . /search/label/Fancy

**Bloom: For this one, just picture the designing done in gold with the skirt a little less frilly and the neckline about two inches higher. ** www . outerinner princess-organza-beading-floor-length-graduation-p rom-pd-00283-19 . html

* * *

_Ciao for now but not for long,_

_TsukiyoTenshi_


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